Poetry from Patricia Doyne

FORECAST:  MORE STORMTROOPERS

Minnesota, Land of 10,000 Lakes,

land of tall, Scandinavian blondes,

now hosts a rainbow of nations—

Somalia, India, Mexico, Laos,

China, Liberia, Ethiopia, Burma,

even a large Hmong community.

But Minnesota, Star of the North,

now faces Immigration & Customs Enforcement–

four times as many ICE agents on the streets

as local police.

You can tell an ICE prowl car—

our-of-state plates,

tinted windows,

two masked gunmen inside.

ICE cruises Somali neighborhoods,

haunts Home Depot parking lots,

roams through Target,

radiates menace.

Black masks. Military weapons. 

Escalating quotas of captives.

This army of well-paid, out-of-shape thugs

targets brown faces,

asks no questions, 

ignores civil rights,

uses snatch-and-grab tactics—

with the blessings of Homeland Security

and the President. 

Civilians push back. 

First, locate an ICE vehicle. 

Follow it, honking, blowing whistles—

alerting locals to imminent danger.

Take videos of agents hassling people on the streets, in stores, at schools, at work.

Tell detainees about their rights.

Remind agents they need warrants

to enter homes, or private property.

Best case:  ICE leaves empty-handed.

Worst case:

An ICE agent approaches a fleeing car,

shoots the driver in the face

three times–

US citizen,

mother of three,

prize-winning poet,

age 37. 

Her death is collateral damage

for an ICE thug’s daily fishing expedition,

his daily search for prey. 

The killer’s excused: all in the line of duty…

Her death sparks coast to coast outrage.

Minnesota, be strong.

Be our North Star.

We see prosecutors resign in protest, 

refuse to hold victims at fault.

But we see civil rights bow to politics.

Law is no longer our friend.

Minnesota forecasts our country’s future

when a President, 

limited only by his morality–

has none. 

GRAB GREENLAND?  BAD IDEA

Erik the Red and his Norse Viking crew

happened on a frozen, windswept land

around 980. Named it “Greenland” (Hah!)

in hopes the name would lure some colonists.

Erik’s people never bought the hype.

Around 1200, Thule-Inuits

joined native tribes. The land now speaks their tongue.


Then in the 1700’s, Danish merchants

came for oil and sealskins. Many stayed.

Today Greenland controls its own affairs—

but Denmark is in charge of all defense.

Who’d attack a place so cold and far?

A man who thinks there’s wealth below the ground,

though mining in the Arctic Circle’s tough. 

Greenlander-folks speak Kalaallisut;

Danish, in business, schools, and politics.

So protest signs are in three languages.

Red MAGA hats abound in snarky slogans.

Here’s how the locals feel about the threat

to seize their home “the hard way,” using planes, 

armed forces, and the arsenals of war…

We are GREEN-land, not GREED-land.

Stop the pedophile protector!

USA already has too much ICE.

Hey, Congressional cowards—

do your constitutional duty. STOP HIM!

No means No!  USA, go!

Greenlanders don’t support a hostile takeover.

Perhaps the US needs leadership make-over.

WAR ON PROTEIN

Don’t buy those string beans! We’re at war, you know.

Food-traitors challenge prime beef. RFK

declared the war, he’s head of HHR—

so he should know. He spearheads this brave fight.

Milk, yogurt, cheese and beans, they’re protein, too, 

like shrimp and chicken, oysters, catfish, eggs–

But what we’re fighting for is meat that bleeds,

red meat that’s key to feed-lot economics.

Consumption’s down. The price of beef’s at risk. 

Big donors’ big donations, too, at risk—

So patriotic citizens eat steak,

or tri-tip, rump roasts, short ribs, tenderloins.

Those health food freaks and vegetarians

are enemies! We must not let them win!

Rib-eye, brisket, burgers—buy them all,

and do your part to keep beef prices up.

It’s spinach, carrots, broccoli and beets

against filet mignon, sirloin, and ribs—

a battle led by one who dines on roadkill,

puts birthday candles on a slab of steak.

ICE ATTACKS MINNESOTA

Two ICE murders: Renee Good on 1/7/26; Alex Pretti on 1/24/26

Minnesota is a war zone.  ICE

invades and kidnaps prey, one goal in mind—

Deport! Deport!  Make DHS look strong,

and punish states that didn’t vote for Trump.

ICE will back off only when it’s bought off–

can mine state files for private information.

Renee Good’s killing brings it to a boil.

This citizen, accosted by masked thugs,

refused to leave the safety of her car.

She tried to drive away. ICE opened fire—

shot her in the face.  Trump blames the girl,

until he learns her father’s politics:

a staunch MAGA supporter. Or he was…

Protestors now fill up the freezing streets.

One morning, Alex Pretti videos ICE

as thugs begin to herd two targets towards

their white SUV parked across the street.

ICE knocks one woman down, while Pretti films–

his cell phone in one hand, the other raised

to shield his eyes from pepper spray. He tries

to help her up. Because he is a nurse

at Minneapolis’ VA hospital,

his first instinct is always to assist. 

But one ICE agent grabs him, knocks him down.

Seven toughs now pin him to the ground.

An eighth extracts the gun from his right hip,

and backs away with it. A gunman fires,

shoots Pretti in the back. He lies immobile.

Three bullets, then six more. In 30 seconds,

Pretti’s shot ten times.  Bystanders’ phones

document the death from every view.

Protestors swarm, though it’s 20 below–

while Kristi Noem repeats the same old line:

This terrorist, gun drawn, approached ICE troops

with clear intent to massacre them all. 

But cell phone footage shows us all the truth. 

And viewers coast-to-coast behold the scene,

time after time. See Pretti hold his phone,

and see ICE agents shoot him in the back.

Can truth unmask this rogue Gestapo force—

this lawless gang of federal bounty hunters?

Video clips alone won’t rein in ICE.

Right wing sheep must open eyes and minds,

demand that no one is above the law,

that government does not make war on states.

Minnesota shows our nation’s soul. 

Copyright 1/2026                  Patricia Doyne

Poetry from Sterling Warner

Older white man with a red knit cap, sunglasses, and a few necklaces (tree of life pendant) and an athletic top. He's got long hair and a trimmed beard.

Trident Temperament

“Poseidon, god of the earthquake, launched a colossal wave, terrible,

murderous, arching over him, pounding down…, hard as a windstorm

blasting piles of dry parched chaff.”

—from The Odyssey by Homer

Nature’s glass harmonica cries

magnolia blossoms wilt

yet scent the breeze as tree

leaves hit earth then take

flight in renewed gusts,

slicing the liquified soil

like expert wave-riders

dodging foam, hanging five—

surfers’ heads slightly covered

by Poseidon’s curl—creating,

arching, holding magnificence

in abeyance as seagulls hover

above them, leading the way

to the bumpy, slick,  shoreline,

littered with sand dollars, scallops,

periwinkles, abalone shards,

clams, pucca shells, and sea snails

paving dryland with vestiges

of yesteryear’s salty mollusks

and magnolia leaf exoskeletons.

***************************************************************

Video Caretakers

I’ve seen spoken word poets die on stage

Observed pedestrians walk in traffic

Urged on flickering senior flames to rage

Applauded graffiti artist graphics.

Since COVID hit, I’d spent more time on ZOOM

Meeting troubadours from Peru to Perth

Past always prologue informed love and doom

Shared tomes that drew tears or engendered mirth.

Yesterday ICE arrested my neighbor

An army veteran, father of five

Family—citizens—followed out the door

Birthright Americans better dead than alive.

I just witnessed another poet’s death

An ICE agent shot Renee Good— perverse!

I’ll quit Zoom but wonder till my last breath

Why real villains evade a poet’s curse.

***************************************************************

Derelict Inspiration

My life accomplishments

appear before me in moments

unrequested and hang before me

long enough to appreciate

boarders and minute details

that appear in short second impressions

then disappear like footprints embossed

in wet sand—deeply defined

only as long as the blink of an eye

while ground swells rise—swallowed

and erased by the ocean’s tide

advancing like a thin plate glass

window nourishing, destroying

renewing…leaving the Salish Sea

beaches cleansed, nondescript

giving me time to reflect how

flashbacks take on lives of their own

provoked by the sound of an earworm,

the smell of salt water, or flight of a heron

that triggers my flotsam jetsam memories.

***************************************************************

Creation’s Critics Fibonacci

C.

J.

never

insisted

that I shave

my legs, armpits and

chest or to wax my pubic hairs

I didn’t think twice

about her

body

hair

stance

that she

referred to

natural positivity

pure and pristine as

Lilith who

emerged

from

clay

in the

Garden of

Eden contrasting

her to Eve, the body shamed femme

fatal the second

biblical

account

of

life.

***************************************************************

Memory (Hawaii)

Palm trees bend, shake, rustle tunes that

Whisper like tiny whistles through fronds.

Your body like a floral island,

Where eager castaway fingers sink into sands

Inhaling exotic nights, exhaling rabid romance—

Eros entwined, shapes frolic, twist, turn

Faceless days advance without numbers;

Tasks continue devoid of deadlines

Hawaii I long to pierce your lusty wilderness with

Temperate thoughts, plumeria leis commemorating ideals

Perfumed breezes accelerating as

They gust toward north shore.

May the fantastic return with clarity,

Latch onto winners, losers, dreamers

Provide fanciful fodder—enabling those

Who dwell in tropical mists,

Engulfed by naked forest ferns, time for

Jettisoned memories and lost opportunities

Sterling Warner’s Brief Biography

An award-winning author, poet, and former Evergreen Valley College English Professor, Sterling Warner’s works have appeared many literary magazines, journals, and anthologies including  Lothlórien Poetry Journal, Ekphrastic Review, Synchronized Chaos, and Sparks of Calliope. Warner’s collections of poetry/fiction include Rags and Feathers, Without Wheels, ShadowCat, EdgesMemento Mori: A Chapbook Redux, Serpent’s ToothFlytraps, Cracks of Light: Pandemic Poetry & Fiction 2019-2022, Halcyon Days: Collected Fibonacci, Abraxas: Poems (2024), and Masques: Flash Fiction & Short Stories. Presently, Warner writes, hosts/participates in “virtual” poetry readings, turns wood, and enjoys retirement in Washington. 

******************************************************************************

Sterling Warner’s Author Website

https://www.amazon.com/author/amazon.com_sterling.warner

Poetry from Gordana Saric

Middle aged smiling red-haired woman with white thick rimmed glasses and a white fluffy gauze top.

ON THE PLANET OF LOVE AND LIGHT

On the planet of light that the hand of God blesses

there is no division and intolerance, there the sun of kindness shines,

reason reigns and words are all of love,

in the kingdom of wisdom with angelic souls, I live happily too.

Here the springs of smiles and harmony murmur,

tenderness dwells in warm hearts,

everyone speaks the language of humanity

and there is love in the fragrant air.

Kindred souls breathe with one breath,

universal empathy is the ruler of the entire universe,

and powerful songs of peace, justice and truth

resound through the sky with white angels.

We from the planet of light want to reconcile the world,

create a land without conflict, pain and envy

because we are all on the same path of transience

and the same heavenly bridges connect us.

We want to descend like stars to the earth without borders

respect for religions and nations to instill in stray souls

teach them that we only have one life under the same sun

and that only in love and peace can we survive.

GORDANA SARIĆ – Montenegro

Poetry from Zarifaxon Holiboyeva

Longing

I longed for studying,
I thought cotton was a game
I Said, “Come in a week”
Father, I missed you.

I want to eat your baked bread,
I want to see your fair face
Your daughter appreciated you.
Mother I missed you.

My stomach doesnʼt get full from macaroni,
I donʼt want to eat bitter soup
Nights donʼt suit me,
Mother, I missed you.

I brought your photo
I bought your promise,
I even saw it in My dreams
I loved My beloved, I missed you.

The watermelon sellers donʼt sell watermelons
The weighers donʼt add kilos
Those at home donʼt get the news.
Classmates, I missed you.

Essay from Sultonaliyeva Go’zaloy

Introduction
This article analyzes the impact of migration on culture from the perspectives of personal identity, cultural adaptation, and transformation. Migration is not only a geographical phenomenon but also a process that leads to significant changes in cultural space. This research examines cultural hybridity and individuals’
understanding of their cultural identity within the context of migration.

The article is based on a theoretical analysis conducted at the intersection of cultural studies and the social sciences.
In today’s technology-driven world, migration has become a global tendency. Economic inequality, political instability, and opportunities for education and employment are among the main factors that
motivate people to move from one region to another. When migrants settle in a new place, they bring their traditional customs, language, and mentality with them. As a result, intercultural interaction and
mutual cultural influence increase.


Sociological and Cultural Background
In sociology and cultural studies, migration is defined as the permanent or temporary relocation of people. Culture encompasses historical experience, customs, language, art, and other social conditions of a society. Therefore, migration is an indispensable part of social life and cultural development. Cultural scholars argue that migrants initially attempt to preserve their original culture; however, over time, they gradually adopt elements of the host culture. Migration also influences individuals’ self- perception. Migrants living in a new cultural environment often face the question, “Who am I?” This situation triggers the reconstruction of cultural identity.


Cultural Adaptation and Identity

Migrants are required to adapt to new cultural norms while simultaneously striving to preserve their traditional, religious, or linguistic identities. This dual process contributes to cultural development and transformation. As a result of migration, cultural hybridity emerges. Cultural hybridity manifests itself in language use, clothing styles, and everyday practices. For example, in regions with migrant populations, new festivals, as well as literary and musical forms, may develop. Traditional values are often reinterpreted within the context of migration.


Globalization and Migration
Globalization is one of the main factors that accelerates migration. Advances in information technologies and transportation systems strengthen intercultural connections. Globalization provides practical
conditions for migration; however, a major challenge in the globalized world is the preservation of cultural identity.


Conclusion
Migration is a process that exerts a profound and multifaceted influence on culture in contemporary society. It leads to the reshaping of personal identity as well as to cultural hybridity and transformation.
While migration intensifies intercultural interaction and enriches societies culturally, it also creates challenges related to cultural adaptation and identity preservation. Therefore, a thorough examination of these issues is essential for ensuring intercultural harmony in the future.

Essay from Nargiza Masharipova

Introduction
This article analyzes the impact of migration on culture from the perspectives of personal identity, cultural adaptation, and transformation. Migration is not only a geographical phenomenon but also a process that leads to significant changes in cultural space. This research examines cultural hybridity and individuals’ understanding of their cultural identity within the context of migration. The article is based on a theoretical analysis conducted at the intersection of cultural studies and the social sciences.


In today’s technology-driven world, migration has become a global tendency. Economic inequality, political instability, and opportunities for education and employment are among the main factors that
motivate people to move from one region to another. When migrants settle in a new place, they bring their traditional customs, language, and mentality with them. As a result, intercultural interaction and
mutual cultural influence increase.


Sociological and Cultural Background
In sociology and cultural studies, migration is defined as the permanent or temporary relocation of people. Culture encompasses historical experience, customs, language, art, and other social conditions of a society. Therefore, migration is an indispensable part of social life and cultural development.


Cultural scholars argue that migrants initially attempt to preserve their original culture; however, over time, they gradually adopt elements of the host culture. Migration also influences individuals’ self-perception. Migrants living in a new cultural environment often face the question, “Who am I?” This situation triggers the reconstruction of cultural identity.


Cultural Adaptation and Identity
Migrants are required to adapt to new cultural norms while simultaneously striving to preserve their traditional, religious, or linguistic identities. This dual process contributes to cultural development and transformation. As a result of migration, cultural hybridity emerges. Cultural hybridity manifests itself in language use, clothing styles, and everyday practices. For example, in regions with migrant populations, new festivals, as well as literary and musical forms, may develop. Traditional values are often reinterpreted within the context of migration.


Globalization and Migration
Globalization is one of the main factors that accelerates migration. Advances in information technologies and transportation systems strengthen intercultural connections. Globalization provides practical
conditions for migration; however, a major challenge in the globalized world is the preservation of cultural identity.


Conclusion
Migration is a process that exerts a profound and multifaceted influence on culture in contemporary society. It leads to the reshaping of personal identity as well as to cultural hybridity and transformation.
While migration intensifies intercultural interaction and enriches societies culturally, it also creates challenges related to cultural adaptation and identity preservation. Therefore, a thorough examination of these issues is essential for ensuring intercultural harmony in the future.

Poetry from Toshpulatova Mehribonu Sherbek qizi

(Young Central Asian woman with long dark hair, brown eyes, earrings, and a black sweater over a white top)

(Young Central Asian woman with long dark hair, brown eyes, earrings, and a black sweater over a white top)

For My Only One!

From the garden of beauty, you are my chosen sign,

In my sleepless moments, your eyes are my guiding light.

I always wait, even for a single word of yours,

Happy birthday, my kind and loving sister!

Among all the beauties in this world, you stand alone,

Your lovely face reflects the pure heart you own.

A Layla whose grace the angels admire,

Such delicate beauty, such a gentle soul you inspire.

May God grant you fortune and endless grace,

Never be in need of friends, nor humbled by foes.

May God perfect your happiness in every place,

And may you never even know an evil one’s gaze.

Even when you meet the world face to face, know no lack,

May your joy be complete, your life whole and bright.

Do not ask for a single wasted moment back,

For this very day is devoted to you outright.

Never witness tears in the journey you take,

Learn the secrets of patience, be strong and brave.

Winning a place in the heart of every soul you make,

Celebrate your joyful days, my sister so dear!

Student of Samarkand State University,
Department (Program) of Languages and Cultures of Central Asian Peoples