Poetry from Mesfakus Salahin

Come in My Heart

Come here, in my heart
Here is your paradise.
Hear the sound of love;
The music of dream. 
That adorn the way to heart
To say 'welcome' to you.

Come here, in my heart
See the sea of passion ;
The ferry of emotion ;
The boat of togetherness. 
We are together 
Forever and forever.

Come here, in my heart
We are the legs of the world
Every moment we cross ourselves 
But every moment we are the same
Love is the head of the world
That combines  two hearts
And nake a river of eternity. 

Poetry from Turdaliyeva Muxarram

Flowers

A splash of color in the green,
A silent whisper, life unseen,
A delicate dance, a gentle sway,
A bloom unfurls, a brand new day.

From bud to blossom, a wondrous show,
A symphony of petals, soft as snow,
A fragrant sigh, a sweet perfume,
A vibrant canvas, chasing gloom.

They stand in fields, a joyful throng,
Or grace a vase, where they belong,
A silent message, heartfelt and true,
A beauty shared, for me and you.

For in their presence, we find release,
A moment's peace, a heart's increase,
A reminder bright, that life's a gift,
A flower's bloom, a gentle swift.


Turdaliyeva Muxarram Baxromjon qizi was born in 2008 in Namangan, Uzbekistan. Now she is 16 years old. She can speak fluently in English, Russian and Korean.

Poetry from Zebiniso Aminova Habibullo qizi

Central Asian teen girl with a white headscarf, pink zipped jacket, and brown eyes standing in front of a set of TV screens.
Haven of Hearts

In the tapestry of life, one thread stands apart,  
Woven with love, stitched deep in the heart.  
A circle unbroken, a bond ever true,  
Family, the essence of me and of you.

Through laughter and tears, in moments of grace,  
We find our sanctuary, our sacred place.  
In the warmth of an embrace, the touch of a hand,  
We discover the strength to bravely stand.

In the whispers of wisdom from those who have known,  
The stories and secrets, the seeds we have sown.  
From the cradle of birth to the twilight of days,  
Family guides us in myriad ways.

A mother’s gentle smile, a father’s steady gaze,  
The comfort of siblings in childhood’s haze.  
Grandparents’ tales of times long gone,  
Echoes of heritage, forever drawn.

Through trials and triumphs, through joy and despair,  
In the arms of family, we are always aware.  
That no matter the distance, no matter the strife,  
Family is the compass, the anchor of life.

So here’s to the moments, both big and small,  
The gatherings, the partings, the echoes that call.  
To the love that is endless, the ties that bind,  
Family, the haven of heart and mind.


Aminova Zebiniso Habibullo qizi was born on April 29, 2005, in the Gʻijduvon district of Buxoro region.

Poetry from Eshbekova Xurshida Anorboyevna

Central Asian woman with long straight dark hair, brown eyes, a black coat and white blouse, holding a white rose and a trophy. She's got balloons and flowers and a pink background behind her.
 Eternal Samarqand  

In the heart where history whispers soft and grand,  
Lies a city of dreams, the ancient Samarqand.  
Beneath the azure skies, where legends were born,  
Her streets weave tales of silk and golden morn.

Domes of turquoise, kissing heavens high,  
Minarets that pierce the endless sky.  
Gardens lush with roses, fragrant and bright,  
Whisper secrets of ages, from dawn to night.

The Registan stands, in majestic embrace,  
A tapestry of art, time cannot erase.  
Mosaics gleam with stories, vibrant and old,  
Of scholars and traders, of courage and gold.

Rivers of Zarafshan, like veins through her soul,  
Bring life to the heart of this ancient scroll.  
Where Timur's empire once held sway,  
In shadows of grandeur, echoes still play.

Marketplaces bustling, with colors so rare,  
Spices and silks, in the fragrant air.  
Craftsmen's hands, with deft and grace,  
Carving beauty in every space.

Oh, Samarqand, jewel of the Silk Road,  
In your essence, mysteries unfold.  
Each brick, each stone, a silent hymn,  
To the glory of the past, never dim.

Under the moon's tender, silvered light,  
Your beauty shines, serene and bright.  
A testament to time's gentle hand,  
Eternal and cherished, beloved Samarqand.


Eshbekova Xurshida Anorboyevna was born on June 25, 1989, in Pakhtakor district of Jizzakh region. She is currently a third-year student of the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Physics at the Uzbekistan-Finland Pedagogical Institute. At the institute, she is the coordinator of the "Talaba Qizlar" (Student Girls) branch of the Youth Union. She is also a scientific consultant at the Quality Publication organization.

She has participated in the "Scientific and Practical Conference on the Introduction and Improvement of Innovative Technologies in Education" held in Germany, organized by Quality Publication, and the conference dedicated to the "ILM- FAN YETAKCHISI" (Leader of Science and Knowledge) forum for young scientists and talented students. At this conference, she was awarded a certificate, a medal, and a book with published articles.

Poetry from J.J. Campbell

Middle aged white man with a beard standing in a bedroom with posters on the walls
J.J. Campbell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
right before their eyes
 

apple pie, baseball, fireworks,

racism and fucking over

the next guy before he

fucks you

 

amazingly, most people

don't believe in evolution

even though it is playing

out right before their eyes

 

democracy is the last flower

hanging on in a drought

 

and sadly, none of this

rain actually penetrates

the concrete jungles

anymore

 

not sure if people

understand what

happens when

that flower dies

 

i doubt we have the

stomach to understand

how many senseless

deaths we still have

to come

 

so, laugh while you can

 

love as much as you can

 

be present as much as

possible

 

the final days are finally

upon us
----------------------------------------------------------------
ghosts in a haunted house
 

another lost afternoon

 

some guy strumming

along to an old elvis

costello song

 

you remember playing

that for one of the past

loves of your life

 

some memories

are roses

 

some are ghosts

in a haunted house

 

both of them are traps

 

needless retreats on

the flat circle of time

 

endless thoughts of

what could have been

are only good for

alcohol sales

 

here comes another

holiday

 

just in time
------------------------------------------------------
this horror show
 

cry yourself to sleep

every other night for

a month

 

stress has a way of

eating away at your

soul

 

makes the figure in

the mirror into a monster

the worst of you still

to come

 

as death gets closer to

the door the inevitable

demise creeps into the

brain and stays

 

plunging into a depression

that has no bottom

 

eventually, you forgot

you know how to swim

 

that this horror show is

the same movie you've

been in all your life

 

but this shit never ends

like the movies
-------------------------------------------------------------
the prettiest girl in the world
 

shooting stars

in the quiet

of the night

 

wishes never

seem to come

true

 

my mother

told me to

have patience

and one day

the prettiest

girl in the

world would

be mine

 

what a

fucking

lie
-------------------------------------------
lost in your own world
 

embrace the pain

and keep on going

 

these words aren't

limitless

 

one day you will

be broken and lost

in your own world

 

sprint to the finish

 

only the fools think

forever is even

possible



J.J. Campbell (1976 - ?) is trapped in suburbia, plotting his escape or faking his own death. He's been widely published over the years, most recently at The Beatnik Cowboy, Horror Sleaze Trash, The Rye Whiskey Review, Disturb the Universe Magazine and The Asylum Floor. He has a book coming out later this summer with Casey Renee Kiser. You can find him most days on his mildly entertaining blog, evil delights. 

Poetry from Stephen Jarrell Williams

Forever

How many years
does it take

for each one of us
to figure out

where we stand
in the spin of the world

our face in the wind
our back to where we came from

our father's words echoing
how to be a man

our mother's love
never ending

and who made them
that way

the essence of them
inside us

forever?



Lost Dog

Lost dog
on the streets of the city

too many humans
with strange eyes

hungry and lonely
he is the same as them

laying down for the night
alone under the dots of stars

city ruins
as far as the dark horizon

licking at his sore paws
then sniffing and listening

a singing in the distance
an aroma of soup bones

and the thrill
of one last lick.


Mountaintops

Way back
beyond the last path
the city a thing of the past

trees grow
tall as the mountaintops
with millions of us

able to talk
with Father God
answering.


Stephen Jarrell Williams can be found on (X) Twitter @papapoet where he sometimes writes and draws and paints and takes photos of the spin of the world.

Poetry from Shaxzoda Abdullayeva

Teen Central Asian girl with dark curly hair, earrings, and a pink zipped-up jacket. She's sitting on a metal table with a green background and neon lights behind her.
I'm the happiest in the world

I'm the happiest in the world,
Also I have everything.
I'm the richest in the world,
Life is interesting.

I have a lot of friends,
All of them kind to me.
And I've family members.
We make the best family.

If I study in Ibrat school,
I will be a good person.
I'll service my motherland,
I will get much education.

I'm the happiest in the world,
Also I have everything.
I'm the richest in the world,
Life is interesting.

Shaxzoda Abdullayeva was born on February 8, 2008, in Namangan. She is currently a student at the Is’hoqxon Ibrat Creative School. She speaks Russian, English, and Korean. Her creative works have been published in numerous international newspapers and journals.