Candle

Games of chiaroscuro air
My open ended soaked sun beach
The divine judgement
Why we open up our own
Pandora's boxes 
Lying everywhere
In the name of love
Just falsifying money 
Stifles my inwards 
I just needed
A little candle soul
To sit beside
My honeycombed style
Before it's too late
We're shooting stars 
Lost revenues new avalanches
My archery of bows 
I just need one pinpointed
A single lotus petal
To smoothen out
Impurities of inward crevices
My fairy shiny letters

classIQue

A home is nothing

without a baby

Albert Einstein.

Won’t you con-

sider adding one

to your family?

The adoption fee

is only $275, &

you’ll get a 20%

discount off your

next five home-

delivered pizzas.

“My quietness has a hamster in it”

Used to be content
with the traditional
hamster package—
a wheel, a wooden
carrot to chew on, her
single goal to be a
fūzokujo in a soap-
lands. That all over-

taken by new tech-

nology & the advent
of Polynesian tiki

culture. Now her
engine is fueled by
biodiesel derived
from coconut husks,
& she wants to drive
the slickest cars, to
become a Street
Czar named Desire.

Purple Haze

Start with a
premise. Or.
The seen thought
that may or may
not have to 
struggle to reach 
the top. Or. The
unseen thing that

tickles the back
of the mind be-
fore striking a
chord & singing
scuse me while 
I kiss the sky.

Innovation & discovery

occur in direct proportion 
to the amount of non-
piercing body jewellery 
being worn. Govern-

ment has tilted the 
playing field to favor 
this approach. Balance 
is the foundation. The 

statements are short, 
clear. Event merchandise  

is now available on-
line. What is a ratio?

you have been band from facebook

Let your Girl Scouts
lip-synch freedom
songs & use their cookies
for pleasure not for
pain. Now that the
mouth of the wild beast
is ranked #315 with a
bullet on TripAdvisor’s

top 788 attractions in
Paris, we can move
on to the next important
project—does jelqing
lengthen, & lengthen the
shelf-life of, one’s penis?

These poems were previously published in a print book by Mark Young, The Codicils.

Trees

In forests deep, where nature thrives,
Stands a marvel that keeps our planet alive.
Majestic sentinels, rooted in the ground,
Trees, the guardians, spreading beauty all around.

With limbs outstretched, they reach for the sky,
Whispering secrets as the wind passes by.
Their emerald crowns, adorned with leaves,
Creating canopies where sunlight weaves.

Oh, mighty oaks with trunks so stout,
Centuries old, steadfast without a doubt.
Birch trees, elegant and slender in form,
Dancing softly in a gentle summer storm.

Maples blaze with colors ablaze,
Enchanting autumn with their fiery ways.
Silent witnesses to the changing seasons,
As winter takes hold, they endure with reason.

Beneath their boughs, life finds haven,
A symphony of creatures, from rabbit to raven.
Squirrels chase and play on their sturdy limbs,
Birds nestle and sing their melodious hymns.

Don Bormon is a student of grade 8 in Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh.

Snowflake Ballerinas

Silver ballerinas pirouetted down the clouds
Sliding down the spruce, fir and pine
Each an unique masterpiece 
Unbound by reason or rhyme 

The sky fell asleep 
Pining for its lover, the storm
The cold wind stole its essence 
Froze in spirit and form

Cloaked in a feathery parka
A busy throughfare lost its way
It skipped its daily itinerary to watch the ballerinas 
Romancing the meek sun ray

Silence grew a distinct hum
The wind stroked a sigh out of the cold
The pitter patter of the pointe shoes
Timeless loop spun around unable to secure its hold

At curtain call the ballerinas bowed their best
The show had come to an end
Another year another time
More hearts to be frozen around the bend

Review:  Signal:  02 A Journal of International Political Graphics & Culture edited by Alec Dunn & Josh MacPhee, 2012.  Reviewed by A. Iwasa

“SIGNAL is an idea in motion.

“There is no question that art, design, graphics, and culture all play an instrumental role in maintaining gross inequality.  They have also been important tools for every social movement that has attempted to challenge the status quo.”

These words start the second issue of Signal, and encapsulate well what this project is about.

It’s a good mix of anarchist, anti-colonial and Left statist.  Though I’ve been a long time adherent to the Anarchist People of Color (APOC) tendency, I think too many anarchists are quick to discount what we can learn from other movements that don’t synch up exactly with our theories, including other kinds of anarchists!

From an in depth essay about Mozambican painter, Malangatana Valente Nguenha by Judy Seidman, to a well explained photo essay on revolutionary Portuguese street murals by Phil Mailer, the first two feature pieces go from anti-colonialism to anti-fascist rebellion largely sparked by the Mozambican liberation struggle itself showing the potential interplay and internationalism of revolution.  These connections between art and revolution are laid out sharply with images as striking as the words.

“If imperialist domination has the vital need to practice cultural oppression, national liberation is necessarily an act of culture,” said Amilcar Cabral, one of the primary participants in the Mozambican revolution.

Make no mistake, Malangatana paid dearly for his art, spending 18 months in jail along with writers such as Luis Bernardo Honwana, Jose Craveirinha and Rui Nogar.  The Portuguese colonial authorities knew the potential power behind radical writing and art.  Also, Malangatana’s brother and other family members were murdered by the counter-revolutionary RENAMO, who had been started by white Rhodesians and were later backed by the South African Apartheid regime after the triumph of the Mozambican revolution.  Without a doubt, the beauty of his art was matched by how high the stakes were.

These essays are followed by a collection of images of broadsides for Freedom:  A Journal of Anarchist Communism, an English publication co-founded by Peter Kropotkin among others.  The collection was found at the Kate Sharpley Library, driving home the importance of archives.

This is followed by a deep dive into old school, low end printing technologies by Lincoln Cushing, what Cushing calls “the Volkswagen bugs of the reproduction world.”  Printing was my vocational in high school, and I worked in the industry on and off from 1998 to 2022, so this one was particularly fascinating to me.

Though Cushing writes a bit about different kinds of offset and letterset presses, and pre-Xerox copy machines, this is primarily about Gestetner Art.  Again, this was especially interesting to me as the San Francisco Diggers were very involved with the Communications Company which had two Gestetners, the only reason I was already familiar with this sort of machine.  The essay focuses largely on their break through work in color separation, something most people take for granted today.

Cushing remains largely focused on the San Francisco Bay Area, but goes on to write about various other print projects that used Gestetners.  It’s a solid snapshot of an era, but it’s also inspiring as I’ve not only worked in the printing industry but have also volunteered for various print projects over the years.

I don’t think the past stands as a blue print for what we should do now or in the future (I mean, look where it got us!), but I do think we should gather inspiration where it makes sense to try to add to successes from the past and move forward.  For many reasons I don’t think you can duplicate proceeding events anyways.

Next is an article by Deborah Caplow that situates the then contemporary Oaxacan street art into the larger context of Mexican Revolutionary art starting in the 1920s.

I was possibly most excited to learn about the Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios (LEAR, League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists) since I’ve long been interested in organizations for cultural workers beyond the small scale collectives and what not I’ve been able to participate in.

Though I was also fascinated by what I read about Jose Posada as a longtime fan of his work, but simultaneously unknowledgeable about him as a person.

This is followed by a Manga by Taiji Yamaga, a participant in the early Japanese anarchist movement.  It’s introduced by the Center for International Research on Anarchism, Japan.  I was dissappoined at first, because when I read Manga, I instantly went to Death Note in my head was hoping to have discovered the Japanese Philip K. Dick or what have you.  The Yamaga Manga is essentially just drawings and notes for his memoires, The Twilight Journal.  But it’s still cool as a first person account of anarchism in Japan in the early 1900s, especially to me since I’m half Japanese but don’t speak the language.

In closing is an essay about Rode Mor (Red Mother), a Danish collective from 1969-’78 that evolved from a graphic workshop to a band, then a circus split off and ended as a fund artist-activist projects.

The author of the essay, Kasper Opstrup Frederiksen, translated all of the titles and quotes, which to me shows a certain level of expertise on the subject matter the editors seem to do a good job of finding, when they don’t have direct participants’ input.

The article delves into Rode Mor’s philosophy, practice influences, which was largely Socialist Realism. Though Rode Mor stopped cultural production in 1978, that’s when they pivoted to using the profits from their work to fund other Danish Leftist artists until 1987.

What I understand

(Written under the influence of what I saw and some events)

Some recommendations for parents in raising children

1. Being a parent, it is not easy to take responsibility and raise a child. If there is a little neglect, they can get involved in anything. They always think that you should be strict with them. But this does not mean that you should always be strict with the child and always fight. You want to teach the horse the right way until he reaches it. But no matter how much you beat the child, it will never help. Worse, they will be cold towards you. Your respect will disappear.

Respect their decisions;
You should not neglect their goals;
You should give them their freedom without pampering them.
The main thing is to know how to listen to your child!

2. Always pay attention to your child's dream goals and respect their abilities. So-and-so's child knows math. You should also study math, history, and IT!

Unfortunately, in many parents, their child knows this type of piston very well. They say, "You have learned too!". Have you asked your child first about his interest, the field of science he is interested in?

3. Never compare your child with someone else's child!
Every child has his own abilities given by God. Someone is strong in science. Maybe your child is interested in sports, art, IT, why would someone say, "Why can't you do it?!" "should be compared by saying?!

Allow your child to pursue an area of ​​interest. What your child can do may not be possible for the child of the pumper who praises you. The more you compare your child, the more he loses interest in his own identity and begins to fall into depression. Let your child be like HIMSELF, not like SO-and-so's child. And the thoughts that no one understands me and why they compare me to him appear in their minds, and their interest fades. Because every child has his own interests, abilities, self-thinking worldview. If every parent listens to their child's abilities and uses them, they would go in the direction they are interested in. Therefore, no child's field is the same. If his fellow doctor does this, he shouldn't do it either. It can't be like that.

Don't compare your child at all and listen, this is the thing that has the most negative effect on the child. It even makes the parents think that they hate me!

4. Always give your child their freedom without pampering them.
No matter who asks you to do something or what clothes to wear (I can't tell you everything, of course you should consult with your parents), I mean let the child make decisions that he can make without fear. That's it. What do you mean, parents, don't be afraid. Let them make their own personal decisions freely. Therefore, you should give them such freedom and strong confidence, say the words "I believe in you", "I respect their decisions", and only then have a child. He starts to try to justify the trust given to him, but many people say that if he doesn't have to take it hard, he will do as he knows how. No! this is a big mistake!

Give them confidence, motivation, and then a child
My parents and me

He tries harder because he respects my decisions and interests. He is also afraid of abusing the trust given to him. Can he act? under depression?!
He does it only because he is afraid.




TODAY AND TOMORROW

Do you struggle to get up in the morning?
Remember when you had an important job and overslept on the day of your exam?
No, because you know why you need to wake up.
When you wake up in the morning, look out the window,
spring is around, if you look around when it's late after spending the day, autumn has come

This morning, another door of opportunities was opened for us to change our lives. A new day was given. Draw a conclusion from your mistakes, don't repeat those mistakes this morning!!!

Our first task in this life is to make ourselves happy. To be able to set goals for our own life, to live by ourselves. To think about our future at least a little, to think about who we are now. and we have to start by realizing who we will be in the future!!! First of all, the first principle of human life begins with self-acceptance. Accept yourself. The people around you are like a mirror to you. Be able to see your mistakes and shortcomings. Keep negative people away from you.

Don't pay attention to the people who laugh at you saying "You can't do it" and keep silent! Be committed to your goals. Don't give up on trivial excuses and don't be weak! The world is not all rainbows and shining sun. The world is very cruel and only the strong can endure. You and I or no one can hit as hard as life hits. It's not about how much life can or can't hit you. No matter how hard it hits you. It's not about how many hits you can take.

Don't point the finger at others saying that it happened because of him when you've taken the blows. This is an act of absolute cowards, and you should separate yourself from them.

For people in this life, it doesn't matter how much you are struggling and you are giving all your strength to it. What is important for people is the RESULT you have achieved. 'changing result. If you say that one day you will not be a slave to people who have a purpose, act today. It's okay if you have fallen a thousand times, don't stop! Get up, it might be the same this time. Search, develop, grow, work more on yourself! Don't give up hope every day you are given an opportunity. Don't look for excuses.... Never... don't look for excuses..

Are you not getting enough sleep at night? Are you out of strength?...If you work harder than today, someday people will work for you.

Stay away from people who have a bad opinion about you. Be purposeful with a plan! Link your life to goals. Try to find your own solution to the problems that arise. If you don't fight to find the solution to those problems, it will never end..Make time count...Every minute..Every hour seconds. Those SECONDS can bring success to your ascension. You may have made mistakes in the past. Don't dwell on those mistakes for too long. Draw conclusions from them! Draw conclusions from what those mistakes gave you and what they took away from you. Make a new decision! Make a plan for your life. If you dwell on the past for too long, you may miss the opportunities that have been given to you in your present life. Don't torture yourself with the past. Live only with the future. Be able to see your achievements in it. Action! Action and only Action! .,WITHOUT ACTION nothing can be achieved. Believe in your own strength and knowledge. 

Everything in this life will end. However, knowledge is an exception. No matter how much it is spent, it will not end. And its zakat is to give to others. If you say that you can act, hundreds of thousands of dying cells in your brain will be activated. You only and just believe in yourself. Put the "I must do it" thing in front. Test yourself every minute and second!

Author Bakhora Bakhtiyorova Asliddin's daughter was born 2006 21-March in the Republic of Uzbekistan. She is an international journalist and a monologist.

the sacrosanct sea (slow ghosts)

the old sea was wild and wavy, and the morning birds loquacious where the buildings ended, where infrastructures ceased and the sand and salt water began. but we didn’t go to the lighthouse north, only to the pier south. what a regret. what is that place like and is it still there? a big truck would go sometimes along the sand and somehow gather the seaweed. if I hold a shell for luck and providence and fortune, or just for aesthetic, the people laugh and snicker. such is the way. nothing can be done about it. but I would wash the shell in the waves lapping, and sometimes keep it. yea there was the world of buildings and roads and regular things in the millions inland. but, out there was the sea and horizon and moon and gulls,- a million feral things. cargo ships far and far seemingly slow,- like slow ghosts-traversing the horizon line. they looked rusted, red and brown and unappealing to most,- completely utilitarian and somehow altruistic. what does the life of a cargo ship mean after its days are done? do they bury it somewhere? does it become recycled, and thus reincarnated? do they ever have names like other vessels do? don’t they deserve a name? in the middle of two worlds on the sand you can see and sense both, the city and the sea,- their relationship that had been going on longer than any human one. 

the snow and how it was then 

once we went to the far and far lands and it was November and I remember that the sky became full of heaviness and by the tall summit where the sumac lives and always stays red it suddenly began to snow. we stood for a bit and watched it fall being swept with a great force when it descended near the evergreens by a winter wind new that had been waiting and slumbering and ready and then strong as anything. one of my old friends is gone now but we had that moment and nothing will ever take it away. soon we also descended but slowly down the hill and went further into feral and beautiful and rugged rustic worlds, all like a mystical meadow meandering dream but in real life. 

the three square fields 

the three square fields, bordered in one side my other, private fields and then open public valley, unthreaded and mysterious,- one million branches and some crackle and sound in the wind like spirits talking. then the other end, secret paths and chaga mushroom on birch unknown, where past all that it turns up to a hill where everything can be seen. how the evergreens have grown and I remember the hidden low marsh where the buttercups grew out from the mud dazzling yellow like some bright enlightenment. 

the stories the leaves tell

the narrow path and beyond

the entry to the forest world was skinny, narrowly contrived by human and or nature. it was steady and level even if just five or seven feet wide. as the leaves at for the most part left the branches, it being November, a soul could see further than in say summer, where the verdant world seemed to hold more secrets and mysteries. but- nature being nature- the sparse-becoming places w/branches plain, seemed to hold against reason and logic another type of mystery. difficult to name but there above the lands- in air by the farmer’s loam at the purlieu, down ‘round the long autumnal and winter marsh, and in the middle of it all, saturated and thick about the thousands of trees that waited and only slightly wavered in the season’s Sunday afternoon wind, the leaves still affixed to trees perhaps speaking about their own story, yes, telling their own non-words, words. for how else could it all be? 

path travellers, and the autumnal songs of prayer and gratitude

the paths, sometimes going past a marsh where birds wait and watch, other times into valleys wonderfully strange and quiet, and way in the distance a sound of squirrel or something. the paths, and there is a series of smaller paths that lead to a long and straight one, thousands of leaves from early autumn blanketing the ground and the summer is over they say. in the distance again, an impossibly large group of birds begins to ascend from the ground of the forest. they are like a dream, like a vision, but real. this thing a sign of hope, completely auspicious and wondrous at once, like a classical music movement, a gift to see from God, a universal truth alive and agile. the path, where in parts old trees creak and sway, and what do they say? they talk perhaps about the winter waiting in the wings, the winter with its snow and wind, it’s newness and clarity, an old dreamer awakened again.

Brian Michael Barbeito is a Canadian poet, writer, and photographer. Work appears at Fiction International and The Notre Dame Review. The prose poem and landscape photography collection, Still Some Crazy Summer Wind Coming Through, is forthcoming from Dark Winter Press in the fall of 2024.