Jerome Berglund (italic)

Christina Chin (plain)

tiger

fears the serpent 

also

artificial selection 

survival traits

pink hyacinth 

revenging self 

upon desire

invasive 

the Terror of Bengal

per-chic-o-ree

bumming a light in front of 

propane tanks 

swoops and chirps 

conversations with friends

End of Summer

(1)

I don’t wear my Hawaiian shirt anymore.

Those were the good old days,

actually the good old great days,

racing into the waves,

exploding through them like a torpedo.

Swimming farther out

to meet the next rising mountain of water.

(2)

I was unafraid back then.

Of course I was a lot younger,

before the sun and the cold turned me old.

(3)

No.  I was never in Hawaii.

I just had an Hawaiian shirt.

And it’s still hanging in my closet.

A Waste of the Sea

(1)

They say don’t go into the water.

It’s polluted now.

(2)

Waves along shores of trash.

It will give you today’s latest rash

and much more.

(3)

Memories coming like a tidal wave,

with no ark

big enough

to save.

Laguna Beach

My Bikini Girl

in my dreams from long ago.

Are you still alive?

Do I still have a chance

to walk with you

hand in hand

in the warmth of the sand?

Moist Lips

Lick of the sea

tasting tease

summer’s end

forever dreams

magnified.

Prayer

Come swim with me

in the palm of the sea,

God’s tear of heaven.

Deathiversary

If not you, the bird. If not the bird, 

me.

But the bird has been dead for months now,

I made sure of that.

But you still rot away at my solace.

Did I do the right thing?

Should I have shot the bird?

Should I have buried you?

I remain unsure, even now

No good son should abandon his father.

Last I was here, over your grave

I told you a few things,

Maybe I shouldn’t have said them,

Ruining your funeral

I don’t know if I regret it.

I won’t forgive you

For taking my father from me

But it doesn’t matter

Because I’m not seeing him again

I’m not seeing you again

I told you I changed,

Not that you could hear

I told you I was tired of your shit, 

not that it matters anymore

But no matter what I think, I’m tired of these ghosts.

Nikolina Hua’s Echo IV: Free Nations in C Minor is a richly allusive and labyrinthine poem that navigates the psychological depths of a mind deeply attuned to the inner soul and wider society. Its verses move like whispered confessions, cloaked in clever ambiguity and metaphors. 

At first glance, the poem seems abstract—perhaps deliberately so. But beneath its surface lies a disquieting echo of societal upheaval, rendered not through direct reference, but via dreamlike symbolism. The lines ‘hair tangles with phosphorus’ and ‘cherry trees beneath imperial drones’ hint of gentle vulnerability in the midst of wider violence, although inflicted by whom, it is deliberately obscure and therefore readers can universally sympathize with the emotions evoked. 

The musical motifs are particularly evocative to me as a composer, the term ‘C Minor’ harmonizes with the tension ubiquitous across the entire poem. The work is also terse, the stanzas are short and each line pauses frequently, almost in doubt. Apart from sounds, the poem is also deeply colourful in its imagery, such as ‘black ribbons freeze on unnamed streets’, or ‘fists gripping blue’, each colour a metaphor, yet of what? 

The influence from Russian literature can be sensed from the psychological undercurrents: an obsession with guilt, a longing for seeking meaning onto a world that resists coherence.  These themes are Dostoyevskian in texture—one can almost feel the spectral presence of Notes from Underground in the speaker’s intellectual and affective isolation. Yet, despite the linguistic artistry being of specific provenance, its message speaks universally to the human condition. 

The choice for obscurity instead of clarity is in itself a strength. By being a cryptic mirror, it invites the readers to find their own struggles within the poem’s ambiguous torment. By being obscure, Echo IV: Free Nations in C Minor ends up revealing so much more about ourselves.

Full poem can be found here

FREE NATIONS IN C MINOR

Orcs gnawed the capital’s door,

cherry trees scream beneath imperial drones.

Existence is a slit throat.

Hair tangles with phosphorus,

ghost hymns ride through occupied smoke.

Speech chokes on its own tongue.

Black ribbons freeze on unnamed streets.

Bones in gloves, fists gripping blue,

nails scrape through basement rust.

Hands remember what mouths can’t speak.

A million fingers pull the tyrant down.

This is how I claw myself free:

Change this. Change that. Never turn back

or the money drags you down

ankle-first into wolves’ den.

Beating grief against their ribs,

free nations sing in C minor.

The dark sea holds its breath.

Ng Yu Hng is an award-winning composer whose works explore musical time, liturgy, and intertextual dialogue. He holds a Master’s from the Royal Academy of Music (Countess of Munster scholar) and a King’s College London alum, winning the Purcell Prize. His music has been performed across 15 countries and published internationally, with commissions from ensembles worldwide.

1. Please share your thoughts about the future of literature. Also, when did you start writing?

Actually, I’ve started writing since 2014 during the Israeli aggression on Gaza City. What inspired me to write poetry is the necessity to raise awareness about the Palestinian cause and convey a message to the Western world that Palestinians have been suffering since 1948 and we are looking for justice and peace.

2. The Good and the Bad. Which is winning nowadays?

I do believe that those who seek love and peace will win in this life because those who seek war will destroy themselves. Peace will make the world a beautiful place full of light and mercy whereas war will make it a horrible and dark place none can endure to live. Throughout my literary journey I’ve passed many good things and people who’ve me feel like I’m not alone in this world by showing their sympathy and support. I’m as a poet, I write poetry about how war affects us as humans and destroy anything beautiful. I write about the suffering of my people for years and how my people starve severely. I wish I could write about the beauty of my country Palestine and share poems of love and peace.

3. How many books have you written and where can we find your books?

I’ve self-published four books. Three are poetry books and the fourth is a short novel. The first book I published was ” Gaza Narrates Poetry”, the second ” When Hope Isn’t Enough”, the third ” Stolen Lives,” and the last was  “Falastin”.  I’ve recently published a poetry book with the great poet John P. Portelli called “The Shadow”.

Most of my books are available on Amazon.

4. The book. Do you prefer e-books or hardcover books?

What will be the future?

I’m looking forward to publishing a new book. The title will be “The Genocide.” It will contain more than 40 poems that I wrote during the ongoing genocide on Gaza City and the horrible experiences I witnessed.

5. A wish for 2025

I wish and only wish that Palestinians who have been suffering for ages restore our legal and humane rights and that peace prevails in this world.

A phrase from your book

“My loyal Cactus, Your thorns are more delicate than the hypocrisy of Humanity”.

” I’m still alive but nothing has remained”

Eva Petropoulou Lianou, Greek author and poet.

Ahmed Miqdad is a Palestinian poet and activist, awarded the 2025 Naji Namaan Literary Award.

Ahmed Miqdad (b. 1985) is a Palestinian poet resident of Gaza. He has a B.A. in English and a Master in Education. Ahmed is the author of three collections of poetry (Gaza Narrates Poetry (2014), Stolen Lives (2015) and When Hope Is not Enough (2019)) and a novel Falastin: The Hope of Tomorrow (2018). The latest poetry collection is The Shadow: Poems for the Children of Gaza. He has witnessed over three wars and severe aggression by Israeli forces on the Palestinian people since the 1980s with a huge loss of life. He writes and publishes to raise consciousness about the Palestinian cause.

Your face in the sky of love

Her face appeared, Moons in her veil, In rosy, red like coral…

When she removed a veil from her full moon,

And shyness adorned her gaze…

Ah, my beloved…!!After you, Will I see…? A full moon I converse with in the sky of my horizon,

And love asks:

Where is the reader of the verse of passion…?!In embrace and union…

For your eyes, A poem tempts me…From the clarity of your intoxicating glance, My soul is reborn,

And for your union, I wrote poetry as ink.

The hunter of your heart, I strive towards that heart,

And the eyes’ confession Of longing openly To a beloved… 

who stood at my door…

And what she hid from my eyes openly,

I see in her beauty

The chapter of embrace…

Fadi Sido, Editor in Chief, Raseef 81 magazine, Germany

Art Basel 2025 

Basel June 19 and 22, 2025 

In Basel. 

The festival, one of the main events of the international art market, presents works of modern and contemporary art in over 280 leading galleries proven in the world. 

The summer sun illuminates the beautiful landscapes of Switzerland.

While I was walking through these landscapes with pleasure, I was thinking about how long our journey to Basel would take us.

What passages, from beauty to beauty, from Lugano to Luzerno. 

Indeed, it seems to me, as they say, a beautiful dream with open eyes.

How beautifully the hand of man has worked together with the generosity of nature and in this way, in this place, they have built a true paradise. 

My thought goes far.

Being amazed by these beauties, which impress me and that with my words I cannot describe them properly.

And what an opportunity and art exists, for every person and every nation, if this valuable experience in the transformation of the environment which resembles heaven on earth, here in Switzerland. That they can use it, and that everyone can practice it in their own place, in the care and protection of nature and at the same time for the benefit of their health. 

Arrival in Basel

After a five-hour journey,

we arrive in Basel.

And here is the Rhine River, not only offering us amazing beauty but a memory and journey with the old European history.

In the beautiful and ancient Basel.

An indescribable pleasure for this place,.

And not only for its beauties, but also for the fact that Basel welcomes us with open arms and envelops us with the warmth of the most beautiful and important activities not only for Switzerland but also for the whole of Europe.

Before us lies majestic and all dressed in red, the square in front of the building, where the song festival – Eurovision 2025 took place

The square in front of the Basel fair is in fact the most magnificent platform that can be offered to art at Art Basel. 

And who can use it better than the internationally renowned painter, who has repeatedly freed herself from the limitations of the classical canvas to claim entire spaces as a canvas for her colorful excesses?

Now Katharina Grosse has transformed the fairground into a large painting. 

In doing so, she included the entire square, including the fountain and the surrounding architecture, in her work.

The German painter has long been considered a star. 

And she is practically destined for this great commission, which is given to an artist every year for the days of the Art Basel fair. 

The Swiss press writes about her and her fame has already spread throughout Europe and the whole world.

Switzerland is ahead in all arts.

It constantly organizes exhibitions to help talents, in supporting and encouraging them as well as displaying the products of the hands of the youngest, the oldest and the most famous artists.

Truly a model to be taken as an example by all European countries and why not the world.

An excellent job in giving the right value to those works that really have value.

The first day

Crowds of people flowed like a river in front of the festival building.

Others climbed the stairs to the palace of culture, where the exhibition titled Arte-Basel had opened.

An exhibition service employee greeted us in Italian and with her warmth and talented hospitality, offered us all the necessary information about ARTE-BASEL 2025.

Second day in Basel

Already amazed by the exhibited works.

We move from one pavilion to another. We take photos.

Thousands of square meters have been made available for the exhibition of works by great artists, as well as ample space for the many visitors.

A special commitment and interest from the employees of the municipality of Basel.

They follow every activity, every detail of this exhibition, in help and support of the exhibition employees as well as the artists themselves. 

Everything in order and with correctness.

“We like this,” said one of the employees, because with the same dedication these beautiful works of art were created, which are exhibited in all the exhibition pavilions.

Values ​​should be protected only with values.

Works that amaze with their beauty and the messages they carry for the culture and life of people everywhere in the world.

We will see and hear each other in the other visits made by our side, in the following days, in these artistic activities, developed in Switzerland and their importance and values ​​for Europe and the World.