Letter

Maybe you will wait me furtively,
Why is it I’m writing it on a small piece of paper?
I’m silly, I’m weird, I cannot understand,
After leaving you and coming back I’ll become crazy.
Maybe you have forgotten,
A smiling girl walking in your street.
Where did our ways broke a part?
Or are we now strangers to these streets.
Maybe you have missed my flaw, dull,
But written with a special kindness poems.
Sometimes, my heart becomes tired of silence,
When the questions do not let me go.
My cure is you, but paper is being my sympathy,
I hurt my heart by trying to write something on it.
The street that was full of my laughter formerly,
Is now filled with me and my tears.
The feeling that you do not know or do not realize,
Paper even can understand my speechlessness.
I want to become a piece of paper,
Which you wanted to see something written on.

Teacher

Do not think
I have grown old,
I’m still the same, the same that you knew.
I do not know whether I justified your trust or not,
But I do know I have made your pain even more.
Sometimes, I get your words wrong,
Sometimes, I get upset from you.

But I did not know that you had a heart as well,
Was I crazy while not controlling my tongue?
Maybe, you will be happy while reading mistake less poems,
Poems that are devoted to you.
But before I fill my life with mistakes,
Please keep teaching the life to me

Mashhura Usmonova Zafarjon’s daughter was born on May 16, 2006 in Gallaorol district, Jizzakh region the Republic of Uzbekistan. Currently she’s 18 years old. Mashhura is a student of Samarkand State University. She has been practicing writing poetry since she was 10 years old. Now, she is the author of about 100 poems. She is a member of international organizations in Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Argentina, and India. Her poems are regularly published in newspapers and magazines such as “Mushtum”, “Gulkhan”, “Guncha”, “Bilimdon”, “Tong yulduzi”, “Nazm gulshani”, “Ezgulik”, “Kelajak bunyodkori” and “Gallaorol ovozi”. She makes creative performances on Uzbekitan24, Sevimli, MY5, Bolajon, JizzakhTV television and radio channels. In addition, her works have been published in book collections in the USA, Azerbaijan, Turkey,
and Great Britain. She’s the winner of more than 30 republican contests. She likes to read books and travel. Her future goal is to become a philologist.

Haiku Pokes

night edging in

ache of tall buildings

hugging those inside

taking chances

homeless venturing out

looking for kind words

eye in the sky

teardrops cleansing

the whole world

playing the guitar

quiet strokes soothing

pit of the city

numb this night

world sinking into itself

the last seizure 

waiting

for the snap of time

when we wake up

little dancer

not knowing when she grows up

taking chances

young artist

only a moment smiling

a cartoon face

breaking news

splitting the world

in half

wind whispering

circling the globe

in a chokehold

at the doorstep

a new day

careful footing

Stephen Jarrell Williams can be found on X (Twitter) @papapoet.  He has been published here and there and where the light still glows.

She Pushed

She wanted 

To move quickly 

And pushed 

For their marriage

And then

When the 

Storm clouds came

She pushed

To end it

What a mess.

Taylor Dibbert is a writer, journalist, and poet in Washington, DC. He’s author of, most recently, the poetry collection “Takoma.”

THE DISCOUNT MAP

   writing rhymes

   of seasons and reasons

is a way of charting weather.

Try to know – somehow –

when it’s going to rain.

Map experience

and figure the cost.

Nothing is free

and sometimes half-off.

San Francisco and the Ongoing Homeless Situation

A few years ago there was an election, and as usual I received a Voter’s Information Handbook from the San Francisco Dept. of Elections.  Among the propositions there was the expected request for additional funding to solve the homeless crisis in our fair city.

 
One of the rebuttals to why this legislation was so important pointed out that there are over sixty agencies in San Francisco whose sole purpose is to ‘help the homeless.’  Well, I said to myself this equates to sixty sets of office infrastructure (computers, scotch tape, staplers etc.,) sixty sets of mortgages and/or rent, sixty sets of staff and sixty sets of Strategic Plans.  No wonder so little of the voted-for money is actually helping ‘the homeless.’

Once upon a time, some of the homeless lived rent-free in Golden Gate Park.  An intrepid group of them excavated a hill and made it livable.  Then the sweeps came and now there are only a few, forlornly holding their blankets and sleeping bags through the rain, the fog and the cold. In my Chi-Chi neighborhood they sometimes stumble through, looking like they’ve been in a war.

It’s possible for the sane ones to go to the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch and ask at the Information Desk for a Hossa Monday through Friday from 1-3 pm.  Hossas are formerly homeless individuals who have resource lists and information for shelter, showers, meals and clothing among other things.  The out-to-lunch people usually don’t care to hear about this as an option, rightfully fearing they will be put in-patient into a psychiatric ward.
It’s also tricky when the homeless have a dog or dogs because after someone was bitten at a library, dogs are not customarily allowed to visit the library branches, card or no card.

I found that the predominant feature almost all homeless people share is hunger, so I carry light, portable snacks.  Hunger bites.
Back to Golden Gate Park. In my younger years I worked for a Podiatrist, who crowed to me that, “I love joggers.” This was due to the fact that his foot patients who ran routinely on cement usually needed foot surgery at some point from all the wear and tear on their joints.  His solution that he shared with me (because I wouldn’t be caught dead jogging) was that if joggers exercised on grassy land, it would cushion the shock of running rather than destroying their bones.

Two more pieces of wisdom he was shared with me: 1) Try to buy two identical pairs of shoes – by alternating back and forth the shoes will last four times as long as if you were wearing one pair of shoes.  2) Leather gives.  When wearing patent leather, what gives is your feet.  He was an interesting character who also used to treat elderly Chinese women who had bound feet.

No one can make our homeless problem go totally away, but it’s good to use common sense and compassion to deal with the situation.
—

Since 1982 [in California] we have built 22 prisons and three universities. It costs $52,000 a year to house a prisoner, more than the tuition at Stanford.

-Heard on a broadcast of The Commonwealth Club

TREES

If you have only one

center of calm

(circle of intent &

compass of silver,)

stay among the trees

for they’re not bothered by

a storm.

My Body, Your Choice

My body holds but flesh and bones for you:

My body has fat in all the right spots for you to hold and holler at.

My legs could be crumbling and I would still be an object to you.

My body was told that it had a choice,

 Yet every time I feel eyes on me,

 fear runs down my skin.

My body lost all hope when it bled out uncontrollably;

Letting Mother Nature turn her back on her children.

My body isn’t mine because I was born with a uterus, fragile and careless, instead of being Blessed with having a dick, hard and stern.

(pause and like heavy breathing (note for myself)

Red hands cover every inch of my body:

Taking control of my movements,

Taking my breath from my veins and lungs,

Taking away each of my rights as if ripping a strand of hair one by one.

With a deep red seeping out of my skin,

I hold myself close with no support but a tube down my throat,

Keeping my throat from closing and my body from breaking.

My body should be in shambles, 

With each shiver it should be gone,

But I was left intact, 

Left alive so I could be used again and again,

No limbs broken,

 But I feel the aching aftermath of every attempt,

Letting phantom hands graze over me swiftly.

My body is a choice to indulge or destroy,

But you choose both at the end.

Two on the Wall

The Torn Hat painting

By Tom Sully was one

Of two that hung

On a Federal Housing

Wall where we lived

Never made me want

To own such a lid

But I might have wished

I’d been as good

Looking or as brave

As that kid with the rosy

Cheeks that might have

Been badges of courage

From a bully skirmish

Chapeau snatched

And ripped in retrieval –

Years after my brother’s

Suicide I began to gaze

Back and find him in that

Memory frame but never

Coaxed smile or smirk

Light of the World-Child

Jesus was the companion

Skinny gold halo and God

Awful ragged and painful

Looking seaweed hair

A shoulder turned as if

Awaiting a polio shot

He died for our sins so

They say so ergo no need

For my brother to have

Taken his so seriously

Any critic art or otherwise

Would agree don’t you think

Store-Bought

The pipe-smoking professor

lobbed quickly a question or two

at the Shakespeare Intro class

before settling at his throne.

Not a hand signaling interest

or answer fecund or fallow,

he bolted in disgust leaving

a striking  tobacco trail

and I recalled the tall student

sitting in front  of me tall, Jesus

looking or at least

a disciple, long hair but no beard

a mere goatee—could be a character

from Midsummer, the comedy at hand—

who three days past picked apart

a drug angle namely Puck’s

narcotic plucking that had proven

a tad much for the professor

who broke in, citing a need

to inhale something more

potent than store-bought

in order to follow.

Wondering what wafted from clay

pipes at the Boar’s Head Inn,

perfuming the hair of wenches

I eyed the beauty second seat, first row

and imagined my face lost in her forest

of raven locks and at her request

deeply inhaling to separate

the store-bought

from whatever mystical elixir

she’d used in her morning shower.

The Libretto

Just a short stretch

Of wall between Bill Butler

Chase’s Wounded Poacher 

And Seymour Guy’s At the Opera 

The fugitive is all the worse

For the wear, gaunt, grimy

Bandage-headed yet

His exquisite mustache

Is oddly hale as if

Smoothed for the posing

Guy’s lovely young

Woman, sophisticated

No doubt and oh so fragile

A slim red band holds

Her taut hairdo in place

What’s occurring on stage

Prompts removal of her

Opera glasses or are those

Smartly gloved fingers

Lifting them to better peek

At a man of interest

As Madame Bovary did

From her Rouen box

How would she react to the poacher

His rifle aimed, they won’t take me

Alive written in caps all over his face

Give up the three strands of pearls

Give up the fur he’d kill to caress

Allow him to touch her thin lips

Small ears, perfect nose and skin

As fair as tissue under a pelt

Of a creature freshly peeled

A Beach and Boardwalk Poem

A couple of teens surf like novices

A kid in a sandbox scans them

But keeps his windblown focus

On a small bulldozer shifting sand

Does he long for the day he might fill

That vehicle seat, ditch the shovel and pail

A couple of loud F-15s fly over, another dream

Along with an aircraft carrier his mom points out

Near the jetty a trio of men and one woman fish

A boat rigged to tow hang gliders exits the inlet

A young woman in a bikini powering inline

Skates, pushes off with fingers entwined

Confidently behind her back

A yellow lab carrying an ultra-bright tennis ball

Pulls ahead and drops the toy

She squats to snag, passes it back

And speeds off six wheels singing

Her arms wagging like happy dog tails

Fame Found 

She was snatched off a branch

Of our family tree, a very distant

Cousin, mistress, of both Jim

Whistler and Gus Courbet

My grandparents never would

Have shared that tidbit

Irish Catholic reins you know

So kudos and gratitude

To the arborist who released

Joanna into our custody

How stately, simply gorgeous

Standing tall on a bearskin rug

The head intact and it’s smiling

In Jim’s Symphony in White 

Her red hair a wimple

The white of her dress and

The pale of the curtain behind

Equal at least two wedding gowns

In Gus’s, Jo La Belle Irlandaise she is

Fingering her locks, examining

Her face in a hand held looking glass

Maybe concerned her beauty is fading

How many women sharing boughs

On our ancestral timber appraise

Their reflections hoping to find

A tad of her handed down

Count the men who have ogled

A forest of barroom faces

AWOL

I’m homeless and walking

At midnight in Central Park

It is winter and I’m wearing

My first Navy Issue pea coat

Stolen when left on my rack

To use the head the day

I was leaving for a new ship

I bought a used one in Newport

But this is the original I’m sure of it

Don’t ask me why this certainty

I can’t place the rest of my clothing

I have a fountain pen in one pocket

And half a lemon poppy seed

Muffin in the other

That I pick at

There are no flowers

In this dream no opium

But seeds get stuck

In my teeth that I move

To my tongue with my pen

Tip then swallow

And taste punctuation

Ending sentences

Confining me

To a brig

𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 – 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲

PRISM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

We are thrilled to announce a call for submissions for the poetry anthology Prism of Consciousness. This anthology will accompany the upcoming VI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE CAESURAE COLLECTIVE SOCIETY, jointly organised by the Centre for Indian Arts and Cultural Studies (CIACS), Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, Department of English, Cooch Behar College (affiliated to the university), and Caesurae Collective Society in collaboration with Sri Vishnu Mohan Foundation, Chennai. The conference will be held from 9–11 April 2025 at Cooch Behar, the erstwhile princely state in West Bengal, India. 

The anthology seeks to weave a fabric of poetic expressions that resonate with the theme of consciousness—exploring the mind, the self, and the infinite cosmos—weaving together poetic voices that reflect on what it means to be aware, alive, and interconnected. 

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE CAESURAE COLLECTIVE SOCIETY

Date     : 9, 10, & 11 April 2025

Venue  : Cooch Behar College

Place    : Cooch Behar, the erstwhile princely state in West Bengal, India

THEME

Prism of consciousness—a profound interaction of thought, emotion, and awareness that shapes our experience of reality. We invite poets to explore this theme in all its dimensions:

A THOUGHT TO EXPLORE

   Mind and Self: Reflections on identity, awareness, and the inner workings of thought.

   Interconnectedness: The interplay between individual consciousness and the external world, including nature, society, and the cosmos.

   Altered States: Dreams, meditations, mystical experiences, and other states of awareness.

   Cultural Perspectives: Diverse interpretations of consciousness across traditions, philosophies, and spiritual practices.

   The Future of Consciousness: Technological influences, artificial intelligence, and the evolution of awareness.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. Eligibility: Open to poets worldwide. Submissions in English are preferred. 

2. Submission Limit: Up to three poems per person; one poem will be selected.

3. Format: Submissions must be in a single Word document, with each poem on a separate page. A high-resolution headshot photograph (JPEG format) is required.

4. Length: Individual poems should not exceed 37 lines. The bio should be a succinct biographical narrative of up to 111 words, written in the third person. 

5. Originality: Submissions must be original and unpublished works. We kindly request that you refrain from simultaneous submissions and choose to share your work exclusively with our anthology.

6. Declaration: Include a cover letter affirming that your submitted work is entirely your own and has not been published elsewhere.

7. Personal Information – Provide the following details in the body of your email: full name, postal address with landmark, email address, and mobile number.

SUBMISSION CONTENT

Your submission must include the following:

1. Poem(s)   

2. Bio

3. Photo 

4. Declaration

5. Personal Information

IMPORTANT 

1. Submissions will only be considered for selection once all five required items are provided as per the guidelines. 

2. The decisions of our selection process are final and irrevocable. 

SUBMISSION DETAILS

Deadline: 10th February 2025

Email: Orbindo.ganga@gmail.com

Subject Line: “Submission: Prism of Consciousness Anthology”

AVAILABILITY OF COPIES

1. For Co-authors: 

    Co-author may purchase copies at a discounted rate before publication. 

2. Paperback Price: 

    Market Price: Rs 600/- (for international authors: $60/-) plus delivery charges after publication.

Discounted Rate for Co-authors: Rs 480/- (for international authors: $45/-), including delivery charges before publication.

BOOK LAUNCH, POETRY READING, AND DISCUSSIONS

The book will be launched during the conference in Cooch Behar (West Bengal), with featured poets invited to participate in a special poetry reading session and discussions. 

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒 @ 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐫

   Please note that the poetry reading session and discussion will include participants whose work has been selected for the anthology Prism of Consciousness.

  If your poem has been selected and you wish to participate in the conference at Cooch Behar, kindly email us. We will send you the registration form.

FOR REGISTRATION

Same as the conference email.

REGISTRATION FEE

Same as the conference registration fee.

Registration will close on 22nd February 2025. 

Join us in creating a poetic philharmonic that resonates across minds, hearts, and worlds.

For poetry anthology inquiries-

CONTACT

Email: orbindo.ganga@gmail.com

Whatsapp: + 91 9895290371

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

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The conference is an interdisciplinary gathering of thinkers, researchers, philosophers, and artists, united in the pursuit of unraveling the mysteries of consciousness. It will feature academic sessions, poetry readings and discussions, book launches, music workshops, an exhibition based on the theme, lecture demonstrations, and cultural events. By linking this anthology to the conference, we aim to celebrate the poetic voice as an essential element in exploring human awareness.

The conference Paradigms of Consciousness and Its Cultural and Aesthetic Expressions seeks to investigate the diverse ways in which consciousness and spirituality are understood, experienced, and articulated across disciplines and cultures. Consciousness, as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, transcends disciplinary boundaries, integrating philosophical, artistic, scientific, cultural and psychological perspectives. This conference offers a platform to explore these intersections, delving into the deep connections between the mind, self, and the world, as expressed through various cultural and aesthetic forms.

Selected papers will be published in a volume by an international publisher and in our ejournal: Caesurae: Poetics of Cultural Translation (ISSN 2454-9495)

  Please send your Abstracts in about 500 words to conferencecaesurae2025@gmail.com.

  Deadline: 20 February 2025

  Acceptance of Abstracts by 26 February 2025

  Registration process should be completed within 7 days of acceptance of Abstracts

  Registration Fees – Rs 2000 for participants in India and 25 $ for overseas participants + Caesurae Membership Fee – Annual (Rs 500 / $6 for overseas participants) / Life (Rs 5000/ $ 60 for overseas participants).

  Accommodation (On request) for twin sharing rooms: Rs 3500

(Registration fees will cover access to the plenaries and panels of the Conference, including the musical, literary and Zoom sessions of the international speakers, as well as a Participation Certificate. A working lunch will be provided and a conference kit.)

** It is mandatory to take Caesurae membership for participating in our conferences. If you are a Life Member you must only pay the Registration Fee. If you are an Annual Member and have not renewed your membership you either you become a Life Member or take an Annual Membership. 

  How to pay Registration fee and Membership fee?

Once we accept your abstract, we will send you our Bank details and a Google Form link. 

✓  For Registration and Caesurae Annual Membership: Rs 2500/-

✓  For Registration and Caesurae Life Membership: Rs 7000/-

✓  For Registration + Annual Membership + Accommodation: Rs 6000/-

✓  For Registration + Life Membership + Accommodation: Rs 10,500/-

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEE

Indian participants      –  ₹ 2500

Overseas participants  – $ 31 

CONTACT:

Email: conferencecaesurae2025@gmail.com

Whatsapp: + 91 8017147503

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

Kind regards,

Orbindu Ganga 

Chief Editor 

PRISM OF CONSCIOUSNESS 

&

Member, Editorial Board

Caesurae Journal

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