METHODS OF INTRODUCING INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION
Teaching English to Medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Baxtiyorova Nozima Atabek qizi

 Student of group 2212, the 3rd English faculty, UzSWLU

Abstract. Governments restricted face-to-face classes during the  COVID-19 pandemic. However, education must be an ongoing process, and the epidemic caused numerous issues in the educational system. Learning foreign languages, particularly English, has become increasingly important in recent years. As a result, the Department of Foreign Languages at Tehran University of Medical Sciences reacted to the new circumstances and devised effective techniques for teaching English to their students online.

Keywords: English language teaching, COVID-19 pandemic, virtual learning, learning management system.

    Relevance of the study English has grown in popularity in the modern era of communication, where expressing one’s views can lead to global integration. Because of the requirement for detail, this field has increased. The primary language utilized to communicate medical essentials is English (Faraj, 2015). According to Milosavljevi (2008), medical professionals and researchers must learn. English to teach in English, to be instructed in English, and to publish their findings in English. Some assessments indicate that the quality of English used in medical contexts, such as classroom instruction, research articles, and courses, has been steadily improving (Hwang & Lin, 2010). Because most scientific, academic, and technical information is communicated in English, English is vital in medicine (Creswell, 2013). As a result, finding means to boost English language training for students of medical and healthcare professions is critical (Milosavljevi, 2008). As previously said, English is the language of choice in global healthcare; consequently, a strong command of the English language is essential to access critical scientific and medical information (Heming & Nandagopal, 2012). Aside from conducting research and gaining knowledge, additional factors demonstrate the importance of the English language in medical education.

    In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a global pandemic. As of August 7, 2021, a total of 200,840,180 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 4,265,903 deaths have been reported globally. Reportedly it originally started in December 2019 in China, yet the first officially documented cases of the disease in Iran were announced on February 19, 2020. In order to control the spread rate of the infection in Iran, the Government decided to close all universities as part of a plan to encourage people to stay at home. As a result, TUMS had to cancel all the face-to-face classes, and as the exact date for the resolution of this calamity could not be determined, education had to continue virtually.

    In 2017, TUMS had already launched a Learning Management System (LMS), called NAVID, as an essential infrastructure for the establishment and development of e-learning. Now NAVID has different facilities for students and professors. Professors and students can see and monitor their current and previous courses, and as an important feature, it allows professors to receive different kinds of reports including all of their activities, students’ collective and individual activities in each course, students’ assignments, assessment of and feedback on the assignments, all the exams’ reports, and the students’ scores and performance in each exam. Professors upload the resources and materials for the students in the ‘Resources and Content Section’ where different types of resources and the prepared teaching materials can be uploaded in a variety of formats. In the ‘Homework Section’, professors can give the assignments and set a deadline for the submission of each assignment. Students can upload their assignments in different forms, namely audio, video, photo, or text, depending on the assignment and the instructions given by the professors. Here professors can give feedback to the students both individually and as a group.

    NAVID allows the professors to design and take various kinds of tests and examinations. Moreover, the ‘Conversation and Messages’ Section allows students and professors to raise questions and discuss ideas. The ‘Class Section’ provides professors and students with the opportunity to arrange for synchronous sessions.

    Since the beginning of the outbreak, in the Spring and Summer semesters of the academic year 2019-2020, and the Fall semester of the academic year 2020-2021, about 4,000 students participated in 183 classes which were administered through NAVID. In order to ensure the quality of education, four working groups were formed by the Department, and the part-time lecturers were asked to join the working groups based on the courses they taught. A full-time member of the faculty took on the responsibility of leading a working group. In these groups, part-time lecturers were asked to report in the written form (based on a certain format) at least two times during the semester to the head of each group. The lecturers could use these working groups to raise questions, discuss ideas with peers and also the head of the group, receive suggestions, and find solutions for the raised issues. The reports of the working groups were compiled by the head of the group and then submitted to the Chair of the Department of the Foreign Languages.

    As teaching has been affected during the pandemic, so has the students’ assessment. Since the academic year 2018-2019, the written summative examinations of English language courses offered by TUMS Department of Foreign Languages were held in TUMS Test Centre electronically, such that students attended the examination sessions in person and took the test online. In the first and second semesters of the academic year 2019-2020, however, the final examinations were held centrally and electronically, but virtually and remotely.

    Students and professors should take advantage of this opportunity to acquaint themselves with, and acquire the skills and competencies needed for, the new era. The pandemic seems to have opened new windows for teaching and learning. Bringing the future into the present and changing our views and attitudes towards virtual and distance education and moving in line with the technology dependent world in the right direction can prove to be a blessing in disguise.

References

1. Kao GYM. Enhancing the quality of peer review by reducing student “free riding”: Peer assessment with positive interdependence. British Journal of Educational Technology, (2013); 44(1): 112-124. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01278
2. Price M, Carroll J, O’Donovan B, Rust C. If I was going there I wouldn’t start from here: Acritical commentary on current assessment practice. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, (2011); 36(4): 479-492. doi:10.1080/02602930903512883
3. Shabani, E.A., Panahi, J. (2021). An Account of Teaching English to Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Academia Letters, Article 3587. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3587
4. Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) – Office of Vice-Chancellor for Education;2020. Available from https://www.tums.ac.ir/content/details/377?lang=fa
5. Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) – Statistics and Information Technology Center. TUMS Abstract of Yearbook. Tehran, Iran: TUMS; 2019. Available from https://sit.tums.ac.ir/uploads/2/2020/Aug/09/Abstract%20of%20yearbook98(6).pdf
6. Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE). The impact of coronavirus on higher education; 2021. Available from  https://www.timeshighereducation.com/hub/keystone-academic-solutions/p/impact-coronavirus-higher-education
7. Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE). Times Higher Education’s Digital Teaching Survey results; 2020. Available from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/times-higher-educations-digital-teaeching-survey-results
8. Uto M, Ueno M. Item response theory for peer assessment. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, (2016); 9(2): 157-170. doi:10.1109/TLT.2015.2476806
9. World Health Organization. WHO coronavirus disease (COVID-19) dashboard; 2020. Available from https://covid19.who.int/

WAYS OF PROMOTING UZBEKISTAN’S FOREIGN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN WORLD MARKETS

Maftuna Imamova A’zamjon qizi

UWED, IEM faculty, 1st year student

maftunaimomova07@gmail.com

+998977546445

        Abstract: This article is based on elucidating the measures aimed at the further development of Uzbekistan’s foreign economic activity and its leading positions in world markets. Today, carrying out innovative foreign economic activity is one of the main criteria for every country. Nowadays, it is no exaggeration to say that the place of Uzbekistan in the world markets is incomparable. In order to further develop it, it is necessary to pay attention to certain factors.

         Key words: Foreign economic activity, world market, foreign trade policy, free trade, protectionism, export, import, diversification, international trade.

       Foreign economic activity consists in being able to conduct economic relations in world markets and thereby develop the economy of one’s country. The basis of foreign economic activity is the right foreign trade policy.

      Foreign trade policy is a form of macroeconomic policy, which is a set of measures to regulate the volume of foreign trade of the state through trade restrictions. Foreign trade policy can be divided into free trade and protectionism according to the state’s level of intervention in foreign trade. The free trade relationship, as its name implies, reflects trade that develops freely, that is, on the basis of supply and demand, with minimal government intervention.

      Protectionism is a state policy aimed at protecting the domestic market from foreign competitors through the use of tariffs and notary measures. There are more than 50 types of foreign trade restriction methods. Some of them are aimed at filling the state treasury, some are aimed at limiting imports in general, and still others are aimed at limiting or encouraging exports. In practice, tariff and notary methods of foreign trade regulation are used. Tariff methods include the introduction of import and export duties, notarial methods include giving subsidies to exporters and producers, quotas, licensing and other types.[1]

     Protectionism – restrictive measures in foreign trade, have a short-term effect. In the long run, only a free trade economy will allow efficient use of resources.     Free trade can be beneficial from the point of view of the global economy, but from the point of view of the interests of individual countries, free trade is not always beneficial.

     In order for Uzbekistan to occupy one of the top positions in the world markets, it must produce the quality of the goods and services it produces in accordance with world standards, saturate the domestic market with all goods as much as possible, and only then export them, import goods and it can try to create services in itself and thereby increase exports compared to imports, and as a result, it is possible to increase the balance of the trade balance. Through this, it is possible to establish strong economic relations with many countries of the world.

      International trade in world markets is very important for every country, especially for Uzbekistan. Because it is the basis of the global economy, and having international trade partners in the world market helps the country’s economy to develop further. The importance of international trade is very important for every country because the development of this country is closely related to its status in the international arena. If we analyze this situation in the example of Uzbekistan in Table 1 below, the volume of foreign trade turnover of Uzbekistan in 2021 increased by 7 times compared to 2000. The volume of exports increased 5 times over 21 years, while the volume of imports increased 8.6 times during this period. The increase in the volume of imports was not due to the decrease in the volume of exports, but due to the increase in the entry of equipment, equipment, and technology to expand production. This situation can be considered a positive situation for economic development.

     It can be seen that the geography of foreign trade has diversified over the years, the share of the CIS countries and the countries of the European Union and South-East Asia in the composition of exports and imports has also increased. Foreign trade with the CIS countries increased by almost 7 times, while with other countries it increased by 6.7 times.

Foreign trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan[2]
Indicators	2000	2005	2010	2015	2020	2021
million US dollars: Foreign trade turnover	6 212,1	9 500,1	22 199,2	24 924,2	36 256,1	42 170,5
export	3 264,7	5 408,8	13 023,4	12 507,6	15 102,3	16 662,8
import	2 947,4	4 091,3	9 175,8	12 416,6	21 153,8	25 507,7
trade balance	317,3	1 037,0	3 847,6	91,0	-6 051,5	-8 844,9
including: with the CIS countries	2 297,8	3 403,4	9 369,2	9 548,9	11 826,4	15 920,4
export	1 172,2	1 722,6	5 647,7	5 230,3	4 106,4	5 433,8
import	1 125,6	1 680,8	3 721,5	4 318,6	7 720,0	10 486,6
trade balance	46,6	41,8	1 926,2	911,7	-3 613,6	-5 052,8
With other countries	3 914,3	6 096,7	12 830,0	15 375,3	24 429,6	26 250,1
export	2 092,5	3 686,2	7 375,7	7 277,3	10 995,8	11 229,0
import	1 821,8	2 410,5	4 545,3	8 098,0	13 433,8	15 021,1
trade balance	270,7	1 275,7	1 921,4	-820,7	-2 437,9	-3 792,1
Compared to last year, in %: Foreign trade turnover	97,9	109,6	104,7	90,5	86,8	116,3
export	100,9	111,5	110,6	92,3	86,5	110,3
import	94,8	107,2	97,2	88,8	87,1	120,6
including: with the CIS countries	128,2	113,3	117,0	79,0	81,8	134,6
export	119,3	112,7	144,0	77,2	65,9	132,3
import	139,0	114,0	91,0	81,2	93,8	135,8
With other countries	86,0	107,6	97,2	99,6	89,5	107,5
export	92,9	110,9	94,0	107,4	98,0	102,1
import	79,2	102,9	102,0	93,5	83,6	111,8

      In order for Uzbekistan to enter the world markets and occupy high places, it is desirable to have an effective strategy that illuminates excellent foreign economic activity. For this, a perfect strategy can be presented by analyzing several factors. We would like to pay special attention to the following important factors.

    1. Providing effective offers for the global market

      Any successful plan for foreign economic activity must begin with the production of high-quality, unique products. For this, countries must first of all perfectly determine their internal capabilities, advantages and advantages, as well as the world market situation. In most cases, copying existing goods and services in the market can deter new entrants from entering the market. Because experienced manufacturing countries that have already established themselves in the market have a higher advantage. If the goods that are necessary and relevant for the current period are delivered to the world market, and there is a special development strategy for this, several advantages can be achieved as a result.

    2. Excellent analysis of foreign market opportunities

       Creating a separate strategy for global markets requires extensive market research. In this regard, a country that wants to enter the world markets, that is, Uzbekistan, should thoroughly study and analyze the situation in the international market, improve its capabilities, study the strength of its competitors in the world with equal status and, most importantly, bring it to this market. Having studied the demand and supply for the product he wants to enter, he should develop a unique business proposal that is worthwhile for the world market.

    3. Use of modern logistics services

       Supply chain issues such as management and logistics are of great importance in entering global markets. When exporting goods directly or selling goods to foreign buyers, whether the delivery address is familiar or new, the main task required of the seller is to ensure that the goods are delivered safely and reliably at the lowest possible transport costs. consists of delivery without If it is possible to win the trust of the buyer, this will be one of the main steps taken to enter the world markets.

    4. Compliance with generally recognized norms of international law

       There are 3 main types of legal considerations when entering the global market. That is:

– the main internal laws of the country;

– the laws of the partner country;

– laws regulating international market relations.

One of the most important requirements is to always follow the above 3 main laws and conduct foreign economic activities in the world market based on these rules. Of course, it is also important to involve a strong legal team. Even a country that wants to conduct foreign economic activity will not be harmed by the help of such a strong legal team, because they are aware of the latest and most important news that is happening in this country.

   5. Establish strong relationships with strategic partners

      Finding strategic local partners from the country of foreign economic activity can be a solution to the problems encountered in most cases. Having reliable connections and a network of partners to avoid problems such as opening new offices in a partner country, expanding business, and eliminating logistics and trade gaps can facilitate such difficult processes. Qualified local partners can provide reasonable assistance in dealing with the disadvantages of working in a new location.

     6. Reduction of taxes and granting of tax benefits

        Changing the amount of taxes can in some cases benefit both consumers and producers. For example, a change in export or import duties allows consumers to buy goods at lower prices, allows producers to export or import more of these goods, and producers can use the profits to renew their capital. All these actions increase efficiency, which helps to develop the economy.

    7. Existing infrastructure to promote economic growth

        The role of infrastructure facilities that help the movement of goods and services and deliver them to the consumer in the most convenient way is incomparable, they are the basis of the market economy. It means having an effective infrastructure and providing half income. Spending on infrastructure will pay for itself twice and ensure economic development. Infrastructural facilities should be created and put into operation not only by the state but also by private sector initiatives in the market economy.

     8. Insuring risks and having immunity against them

        Diversification of the market and sales methods, goods, and services in the world market is the best opportunity to insure risks and have immunity against them. In most cases, prioritizing orientation to the domestic market reduces resistance to competition in the world market and weakens innovative activity. Focusing more on global markets in their external economic activities than domestic markets can provide long-term effective economic growth. Updating product types and assortments, creating new markets, and bringing sales methods to the level of customer orientation also serve as the basis for obtaining high income.

         In conclusion, it can be said that the success and economic growth of Uzbekistan in the world market outweigh the difficulties of doing business in the international arena. There are ways to promote the foreign economic activity of Uzbekistan in the world markets, apart from the above-mentioned points, but if all of them are combined and carried out effectively as a single strategic model, Uzbekistan will also take high positions in the world markets and achieve success.

List of used literature:

1. Principles of Economics, 6thEdition.N. Gregory Mankiw. ISBN 13: 978-0-538-45305-9.  USA, textbook. 2012. Cengage Learning. 890 p.
2. World economy and international economic relations. Textbook, ed. A.S. Bulatova. Moscow.: KNORUS, – 2017, 916 pages.
3. Information of the State Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. T.: 2022. www.stat.uz

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[1] Principles of Economics, 6-Edition.N. Gregory Mankiw. ISBN 13: 978-0-538-45305-9.  USA. 2012. Cengage Learning. Page 686.

[2] Source: Information of the State Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. T.: 2022

Welcome, readers, to mid-January’s issue of Synchronized Chaos Magazine!

We recognize various observances this month: American civil rights leader Martin Luther King’s birthday, Holocaust Memorial Day, Clean Energy Month and World Braille Day and strive to make our publication as inclusive and welcoming as possible.

We are also hosting a free public literary reading in conjunction with the Association of Writing Programs conference next month in Kansas City, MO. This will be at 6pm on the evening of February 7th at Prospero’s Books. All are welcome to come and hear the readers!

Now for this month’s issue: Holding Up Our Corners of the Sky.

Don Bormon and Mahbub both encourage us to move forward into the New Year with optimism.

Sayani Mukherjee describes cultivating herself as if she were a garden. Chimezie Ihekuna urges young Nigerian students to apply the lessons of their education to their lives, values, careers, and future leadership.

Makhfiratkhon Abduratkhmonova illustrates one young Uzbek woman’s pathway to success and recognition as a writer and intellectual. Davronova Lobar advises parents on how to raise confident children, while Saida Ismoilova speaks to having the courage to pursue our dreams.

Farkhodova Nodira extols the good exercise, glory, and discipline involved in playing sports. Dildora Toshtemirova reminds her fellow Uzbek nationals of the many vocational training opportunities in the country while Shabnam Shukhratova outlines the advantages of study-abroad programs for enriching students’ lives.

Taylor Dibbert also reflects on travel, in his piece where the speaker’s life begins to make more sense when he has a change of scene and visits Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Daniel De Culla provides an earthier travelogue, about local customs on a trip to Morocco.

Maja Milojkovic’s poem compares working artists to fish in an aquarium, constantly observed while trying to accomplish something meaningful. Graciela Noemi Villaverde touches on the more personal side of her poetic practice in a piece where she “meets” with her poetry.

Sitorakhon Buriyeva reminds us that life is short so we should make moral choices and make the most of our time.

J.K. Durick’s poetry explores our human limitations, what we can and cannot accomplish or change in life. J.J. Campbell dredges up the frailty of midlife: loneliness, physical weakness, awareness of one’s mortality. Niginabonu Amirova ponders human destiny and how we must all die, while Maftuna Sulaymonova highlights the cycle of life with a poem where a daughter cares for her aging mother.

Priscilla Bettis also looks at mortality, with gentle haikus about grief and the burial of a loved one. Mesfakus Salahin reminds us that we are all mortal and will all arrive equally empty-handed in the grave. Sabina Abdulazizova’s poetic speaker speculates on how she’d like to be remembered.

A.G. Davis’ poetry evokes death imagery alongside that of outer space and the mythical underworld. Christina Chin and Uchechukwu Onyedikam’s collaborative haikus also reference death and the underworld, alongside space aliens.

Faleeha Hassan’s lush, imaginative poem illuminates the death of creative imagination that is writers’ block. Noah Berlatsky evokes the impermanence of memory and how past relationships fade into the background.

Jerry Langdon illustrates the storm of heartbreak, when his speaker is no longer able to pull into the safe harbor of his past partner. Mavluda Rusiyeva also describes the intense pain of a broken romantic relationship. Gulsanam Abdullayeva speaks to lost love and heartbreak, while Mohichehra Rustamova quests for interpersonal and emotional peace while grieving having caused someone pain.

Maid Corbic’s poetry extols giving love, but recognizes that his love has limits because of his humanness. Cheryl Snell’s work also probes the limits of love, as she relates coldness and neglect within family relationships.

In contrast, John Culp talks of persevering in love, not shutting the door on each other, even in intense moments. Shukratova Shabnam offers a lament and a tribute to a mother’s hard work and sacrifice while Dildora Toshtemirova probes the complexities of a mother and daughter’s relationship.

Kristy Raines writes of a gentle companionship while Sayani Mukherjee evokes a moment where she meets with God, envisioning perfect communion and realization of her best self. In Charos Makhamova’s piece, spiritual and human love commingle, while Elmaya Jabbarova narrates a vivid dream of a spiritual union with a loved one from whom she draws inspiration. Abdusodiqova Fotima urges people to come to God with their pain, as He is a perfect listener.

David A. Douglas’ formal poem shows a bystander, powerless to prevent the train wreck he’s watching, but infused with courage from his faith to endure being a bystander and bear witness to the scene.

Favour Raymond also bears witness, to domestic violence and its impact on children. Daniel De Culla critiques and diminishes the power of today’s warmaking leaders by locating them within the historical context of other warlords whose empires have come and gone. Mykyta Ryzhykh describes the violence of modern warfare, yet illustrates how life as a whole perseveres and outlasts the individuals who are killed. Evie Petropolou urges world leaders to pursue peace and justice and for all people to remember our interdependence.

Bahora Boboyeva conveys the terror of a family facing political or ethnic persecution. Jeff Rasley describes a riot where activists leave ordinary passersby to bear the brunt of repercussions for their actions.

Brian Barbeito witnesses and laments people’s increasing post-pandemic harshness and pettiness. Arthur Chertowsky describes slowly losing his ability to read or listen to books as he ages, wondering if he is slowly dying away as he ages.

Fayzullo Usmonov narrates the struggles he faced while growing up in poverty and earning a hard-won university admission. Many other contributors discuss education, including Rejabova Dildora, who outlines modern teaching methods for primary education, Mashxura Maxammatova, who suggests innovative methods for teaching English to youngsters, Fatillaeva Nehrinoz, who discusses language instruction in higher education, Shamuratova Shoira, who highlights podcasts as a tool for language learning, Malika Isomiddinova, who covers new methods for teaching vocabulary, and Alisher Ergashev, who goes into information technology tools for teaching foreign languages.

Farrukh Amirov’s poetic speaker escapes real-world injustice through retreating into the historic poetry of his nation.

Dilnoza Xusanova remembers Erkin Vakhidov, a versatile legend of Uzbekistan’s literary heritage. Bahora Boboyeva discusses Bernard Shaw’s sophisticated analysis of social class, education, and personality formation in Pygmalion. Diyora Bakhodirovna outlines psychological theories of the concept and development of personality.

In his latest set of postwoman poems, Mark Young receives deliveries of various icons of history and culture. Lorette C. Lukajic offers up 13 different ways of looking at Edward Hopper’s painting Nighthawks, about the loneliness, or peaceful solitude, of being in a quiet cafe in the evening.

Duane Vorhees writes of history, the passage of personal and mythic time. Z.I. Mahmud’s essay analyzes how T.S. Eliot and Samuel Taylor Coleridge viewed the purposes of art and literature.

Mirzaliyeva Zarinakhan outlines the history of church reformer Jan Hus, while Daniel De Culla evokes the character of an old fashioned road cleaner. Rbs Nsj gives the background of the Village of the Saint shrine which faithful Uzbeks visit on pilgrimage. Farangiz Safarova discusses Korean greetings and social etiquette.

Arts video journalist and filmmaker Federico Wardal announces his upcoming interview with Italian journalist and music promoter Adriano Aragozzini.

Some more modernist writers play with language. Jim Meirose’s onomatopoetic tale appears to concern a spear-throwing game while Daniel Y. Harris encodes Proxy Godbot the Black Hat Hacker into verse that resembles software. J.D. Nelson contributes his signature word fragments for a piecemeal glimpse of the world.

Sitora Mamatqusimova contributes a paean to the glorious history of her native Uzbekistan. Boronova Sevinch and Nigora Togayeva take pride and find happiness and reasons for optimism in their country and family, while Mohinur Sotvoldiyeva outlines some historical Uzbek wedding customs.

Laylo Mamatova shares the history of the Central Asian spring holiday of Navruz, while Zuhra Ruzmetova waxes effusive about the beauty of Uzbekistan in the spring. Wazed Abdullah writes of the history embedded within a long-flowing river while Muntasir Mamun Kiron rejoices in the beauty of the land and culture of his native Bangladesh, Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa anticipates the fun of summer in an upbeat piece and takes comfort in gentle winds, and Mahbub Alam reflects on a foggy, quiet morning.

Isabel Gomez de Diego’s photography explores how people experience built environments, on small and larger scales.

Safarova Ozoda speaks to the impact of humans on the earth and the importance of preserving and caring for the environment.

Laura Stamps interacts with nature in a more personal way, through adopting a playful puppy!

We hope this issue will have moments of fun alongside those of beauty and tenderness and intellectual stimulation.

Steps


The auric field 
Of my own nemesis
Own your tribe
Nurture the sockets of your heart
As if a newly polished
High school ground
That transports your
Little brittle garden 
Into a big pool of 
Melancholic ambrosia. 
My other half as if it
Gently spoke my rawness
My wet treasured hydrangeas
Into a wooden coffin of 
Tumultuous laughing stock
The soft peached rainbow
Bulking around the lawn
The little trinklet of a choir
My sudden bemused allegory
It's fair enough 
Leaden steps 
With my own nemesis

ink ink ink & we leave it

lemon face
thoughts, maybe


—


tomorrow counts for corn

june goose

legendary large
amounts of truck stop


—


voices in the mire

howdy, dave!

centimeter schwa
chaco canyon


—


[major houlihan]

beginning &
lake toe supreme


—


five-doppler footlong

three flowers later

pecos
pecan
pecos


—


bio/graf

J. D. Nelson’s poems have appeared in many publications, worldwide, since 2002. He is the author of ten print chapbooks and e-books of poetry, including *Cinderella City* (The Red Ceilings Press, 2012). Nelson’s first full-length collection is *in ghostly onehead* (Post-Asemic Press, 2022). Visit his website, MadVerse.com, for more information and links to his published work. His haiku blog is at JDNelson.net. Nelson lives in Boulder, Colorado, USA.

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Night Hawk

after Nighthawks, by Edward Hopper (USA) 1942

1. Nighthawks: Postcards From Easy Street. A foggy night. Tom Waits choking on the microphone. Eggs and sausage, toast. Warm beer and cold women. Dewana, fading burlesque queen, bumps and grinds through another round of late night jazz. Her husband, in his taxi outside, collects the strays and malcontents and takes them elsewhere, or home, if they have one.

2. May 13, 1942. Mr. Edward Hopper, S. Washington Square, New York. Chicago. Night-Hawks. 3000, less 33 1/3%, 1000. 2000, less photos, 29.00. Check $1971.

3. “The loneliness thing is overdone,” Hopper said himself.

4. Sometime around 1992, stone cold winter, inside McDonald’s, somewhere in New York, waiting to warm. Drifting, in those days, from town to town. A gangly sort, his face a sharpened street corner, slid his tray over, sandwiches and fries. It could have been Ric Ocasek but he said his name was Voltaire. All I had on my mind was running away backwards, homewards, or if my boyfriend would come back for me after whatever business he was up to, but I distracted myself with the little salt packets heaped high in hopes of skinny fries. I was half-starved, but toughed it out by grumbling about the un-green meal I’d been given. Voltaire was unruffled, but he did have a lesson to teach. You chose this place, he said. He picked up the little white envelope and folded it until it broke open and salt snowed over the Formica. Besides, this little packet’s whole purpose is your fries, and in wait of that, to hold the essence of the world... I’d never thought of it that way before, but never thought of it any other way again. 

5. On a winter’s night, a traveler: hair full of Jupiter and copper pennies. She’s a long way from Nacogdoches and she can’t sleep. She inspects her nails, lets her new friend in the fedora edge his fingers closer to hers. He seems nice. She nods for more coffee, dreams of rum and grenadine. 

6. Another diner, a dime a dozen. A woman is writing a song. Another woman hitches up her stockings, ducks into the dawn and wields her umbrella against the rain.

7. Kaldi’s, New Orleans, Decatur Street, our meeting place. Chicory in heavy pottery. Tourists and trombones and vampires. 

8. Nine years after Nighthawks, the ballad of the sad café. 

9. Café des Nattes, Sidi Bou Said, artists gathering above the sparkling Tunisian sea for shisha and mint tea for 300 years. For one afternoon I join them, squatting down on the red and green floor mats like I lived there. A German tourist next to me is reading Hesse and on the other side, some young women are arguing amicably about the origin of tajine cookery.

10. 1990. The fleet of puffy shirts and pointy boots line the north window of the all-night Yonge and Carlton Golden Griddle like some kind of pirate wedding party. 

11. Night + brilliant interior of cheap restaurant. Bright items: cherry wood counter + tops of surrounding stools … good looking blond boy in white (coat, cap) inside counter. Girl in red blouse, brown hair eating sandwich. Man night hawk (beak) in dark suit… holding cigarette…Sign across top of restaurant, dark—Phillies 5¢ cigar… Note: bit of bright ceiling inside shop against dark of outside street—at edge of stretch of top of window. Descriptive notes for her husband’s work by Jo Hopper

12. Everything Hopper painted was a kind of movie still. 

13. A clean well-lighted place, a cafe church, an American prayer.

Lorette C. Luzajic reads, writes, publishes, edits, and teaches small fictions and prose poetry. Her work has been published in hundreds of journals, and translated into Urdu and Spanish. She was selected for Best Small Fictions 2023. She has been nominated several times each for Best Small Fictions, Best Microfictions, Best of the Net, the Pushcart Prize, and Best American Food Writing. She has been shortlisted for Bath Flash Fiction and The Lascaux Review awards. Her collections of small fictions are The Rope Artist, The Neon Rosary, Pretty Time Machine and Winter in June. Lorette is the founding editor of The Ekphrastic Review, a journal of literature inspired by art, running for almost nine years, and the brand new prose poetry journal, The Mackinaw. Lorette is also an award-winning mixed media artist, with collectors in more than 40 countries so far. 

New Year

As we step into the year 2024,
New hopes and dreams knock on the door.
With promises of change and fresh starts,
We're ready to embrace what's in our hearts.

The past is behind, a new chapter begins,
Filled with opportunities and untold wins.
Resolutions made, with determination strong,
We pave our path, where we know we belong.

Celebrations ring out as the clock strikes midnight,
Filling the air with joy, hope, and delight.
The future unfolds like a story untold,
As we welcome the new year with arms bold.

So let's cherish the moments, both big and small,
And cherish the memories we'll recall.
For in the canvas of time that's yet to be,
Lies the beauty of 2024, full of possibility.

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