The God Term I get uneasy when people start using the God term like they know what God thinks or says maybe we should be more like the ancient Jews unwilling to speak the name of god or the Buddhists who don’t have a god only the Buddha, the awakened one that’s exists in all of us if we can be still enough to let the awakened state manifest let’s not even use His Endlessness Is God a he? I’m not much interested in what God says I don’t want to name It I don’t want to be a God interpreter what is the experience? maybe it’s divine presence that blooms in us that flows through creation for no apparent reason a spacious awareness a divine stillness Being Cocoon my head pokes out of my cocoon to see the sky blue and vast bald eagle sits atop electric pole magpie flies by, calling intent on renovating last year’s nest ground squirrel scurries across the pasture disappears into her hole the world is vast if I could just see it if I could just see I am part of that vastness and awakening Stillness Beneath form lies formlessness where stillness lies, I open to whatever there is relaxing. I invite in spacious awareness. Beyond the jumble of my thoughts, I listen and watch, sitting in stillness timeless, no thoughts, Buddhas say, "No self. No problem." Thich Nhat Hanh says, "No mud, no lotus." Beyond the noise of the world lies stillness From there I watch and Listen. I am.
Poetry from Dr. Shailesh Gupta Veer
Desire ------------------- She is in my heart, and my heart is in her fist, I want to hold her hand forever! □ Tide of Sensations ------------------- Heart is broken Like a glass bowl, The tide of sensations is making an uproar! □ Rather ------------------- Neither need to be excited Nor to be overjoyed It's not the ending rather the autumn. Let the new leaves come! □ To Ease the Pain ------------------- Mind is restless, stream of ideas is endless, in an attempt to ease the pain, I have befriended nature! □ Connection ------------------- In each and every particle of the macrocosm, You have dissolved as sandalwood! The magical connection of two souls is peerless!! □ Brief Biography: Dr. Shailesh Gupta Veer --------------------------------- Dr. Shailesh Gupta Veer is a poet, critic, reviewer, editor and multi-prize winner. He is bilingual and writes in English & Hindi. His literary works are characterized by a high degree of creativity and authenticity. He has edited about two dozen literary books and several magazines. His poetry has been published in various literary national and international magazines, journals, anthologies and websites. He has won many awards in the field of poetry and literature. His poems have been translated into Chinese, Greek, German, French, Spanish, Azerbaijani, Arabic, Italian, Serbian, Croatian, Portuguese, Nepali, Punjabi & some other languages. He is the editor of Micropoetry Cosmos and the associate editor of The Voice of Creative Research. He was declared a Literary Icon in December 2018 by the TV program 'You and Literature Today' from Nigeria. His poems were read on The Dear John Show of Warrington, England. He is an inspiration for budding poets. He is a Ph.D. in Archaeology and is currently working as a Government Teacher. - Dr. Shailesh Gupta Veer Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, India Email: veershailesh@gmail.com
Poetry from Eva Petropoulou Lianou
Αbout poetry Poetry Is a very demanding woman She knows how powerful are the words They can win a war The right verses must be used Poetry Needs loyal men Needs time And caring As you take a white paper And you give your self Creating sentences With your heart A woman need so Much caring As the poem Is ready To come out of your Stomach Or your heart Feelings Never spoken Feelings never shared A woman was never loved... Poetry It is the way We see love Ourselves Be loved Wishes to become true Poetry Is our freedom..... ... We have asked not to be forgotten.... But we forget to live We forget to love We forget to say hello and thank you to people they were there for us!! We asked to be patient We have asked to be kind But they never teach us about the selfish person The evil people They snakes they are among us That are waiting for our moments The small moments To come And destroy We have asked to believe in ourselves We have asked to be positive But they never explained that We will be the only that we must do that As people are occupied with make war Make money Have power I do what they asked but i walk forgotten.... In the battle field...
Poetry from Stephen Jarrell Williams
"STITCH POEMS" A gathering into a column... (1) "Your Stance" Locked in on probable concerns forming in all directions encircling your soft bed of day-years and night safety suddenly eroding from the hyper news and prediction gurus growing like pandemic copycats, coming down the far edge of most streets closing in on deserted gas stations and gangs too tired to steal anymore of anything... The radical Beat Armies with new laws tattooed on their near nude bodies, marching with signs, sharp nails and wrist cameras blaring out orders by some Ai chamber- "We are here to help by correction!" You almost pop a cell just thinking about it... You stumble to the bathroom, turning on the light, but the mirror remains dark... "How do I escape from so much hate?" Then it hits you like a smooth left hook... Your stance is wrong. (2) "Rampage" And in our dreams, swallowing grief, kids crying with no one stopping the Animal Rex breaking out of his drain, from the underground pit, on a rampage, thousands of years pinned in... Drones watching, whipping low for a shot, Video Voodoo... Too many accepting what they see is almost the truth. This dream is that dream changed by a computer handler and what their alignment wants... A computer is not human, but can it overcome blood? Rampage, too many venturing in these last days but not in the Word of Truth. (3) "Inflated 666" They've been under us years a giant click wad paid well working on secrets not understood by them and us only a few knowing the end game sinister poke-holes connected by live wires sparking for a spanking mankind the Devil Son and Mr. Clean they will lead the stupid ego freaks into the valley of phoney gold hard mush and holes in their concrete thongs. (4) "Decisions" You manage to think ignoring or sucking it in? The Mega Media... fake wings dripping deodorant bombs. When will you speak out and mean it? Flutter drones flying over and peeking in your window... You occasionally read an old book before they rewrote it. Decisions waiting on you and who to pray with.... (5) "Baking Bacon" Beat the drums in your sewer tunnel, echoing under all the city wrap... Heard them dancing deep in the spiraling down where the masses of the underworld creep and pretend they don't know who they are and the hell they believe. Sorry for them but they chose their upside-down peak and will burn in the stink. Their lottery of billions of Bozos with their bubbled noses laughing as their makeup runs with tears. Salty tears sandy rears from sitting in the desert too lazy to take a walk complaining about the faults of everyone else... Gads what a mix of kaleidoscope pigs cooking in their own bacon. (6) "When You Knew" And then the slap... Snap out of it! Jumble of words... Eye opening and maybe a giggle. But you're still in it... The world breeding into a darker place. It's happening everywhere to everyone. You too. Time to change back into a child, when you knew right from wrong.
Poetry from J.D. Nelson
powerbalk silvery sneakers [duckie] — formulaic radish safely, but we’ve — tree volume: 15 nature’s pillow? you answer to us — 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 Colorado, USA.
Poetry from Mesfakus Salahin
Queen of Epic You are the greatest epic I have written with love and love. The words are unseen The language is dumb The words are dreamy The verses are virgin. Nobody can read it, Listen it, Or understand it. But I read it, Listen it, And understand it. I and you are the characters I am the real hero You are a dream girl. I have conquered everything But time is the main villain. I shall beat time And Conquer dream One day dream will not be dream You will be mine The Epic has beginning but no end. Oh! the queen of epic, Come and touch love land. My love land is for you Without you no epic is epic Without epic you are not Queen.
Short story from Daniel Aondona
The Fall of Aryantha Long time ago, there lived an emperor named Zylo who ruled Aryantha. Aryantha was the largest empire in Africa and was well known for its dominance and strong army, which had gone into several wars and conquered other smaller kingdoms and empires. Zylo was selfish and filled with pride. He had a lot of wives, including the wives and daughters of other rulers he had snatched. He named himself 'The God of Africa' with the intention to overthrow and rule over the continent at large. However, Emperor Ludiar of Shakkiraa and Emperor Pailomen of Gajida were opposing forces who stood firmly against him. Aryantha was situated between two other great empires: Gajida from the West and Shakkiraa from the East. These were the only obstacles preventing him from carrying out his evil plans. Emperor Ludiar was a young man who inherited the throne from his late father, who was killed by Zylo some years ago. For this reason, a strong enmity was created between Ludiar and Zylo. Ludiar vowed not to rest until his father's death was avenged. Therefore, he united with Pailomen and rulers of other empires whom Zylo had offended in one way or another. Lecias, the first wife of Emperor Zylo, was not comfortable with his idea of keeping so many enemies. She advised him not to continue being a villain, but he failed to listen. "You see, your neighbors are now against you. They might all one day rise for your downfall," said Lecias. But Zylo laughed and said, "For centuries, Aryantha has remained the greatest. My father was the greatest emperor during his reign, as was his own father. And for this reason, I shall hold onto their legacy. Trust me when I say, my foes will rise a hundred times, but they all shall be subjugated." "Your forebears led Aryantha through the right path; they created peace, not war," Lecias mentioned. But all her words fell on deaf ears. With desperation to be called a god, Zylo decided to send his army into the spirit world to steal the sacred scripture, which contained sources of spiritual powers and secrets of the gods. Lecias tried her best to prevent Zylo from carrying out such a decision, but her efforts were futile as Zylo was too stubborn. He, therefore, sent half of his soldiers, including the strongest warriors, into the spirit world and happily waited for their return to become a supreme being. This made Lecias very worried about the outcome. She knew that Africa would surely face a massive tribulation if Zylo succeeded. So she decided to stop him. While Zylo was relaxed and patiently waiting for the return of his soldiers, Lecias went to Shakkiraa to see Ludiar. Ludiar and his kinsmen were having a meeting at the royal chamber when they were informed by the guards that Lecias had come to see him. "Let her in," he permitted, and she was brought in. "What brings a doe into the den of a hungry lion?" Ludiar questioned, and one of the chiefs commented, "Perhaps she has come to be devoured," and they all burst into laughter. "I have come to you with good news," Lecias began, and the chiefs started whispering among themselves. "This could be a ploy. She looks so deceptive, she is a real enemy and not worth trusting." "You may proceed," Ludiar told her, and she exposed Zylo's plans to them. "I think this is the right time to strike," she concluded. "Why should we even trust you?" Ludiar asked, and she spoke again, "Zylo is my husband, but he has taken the wrong path. I cannot sit back and watch him ruin the world." With these and other convincing words, she was able to win the trust of the Shakkiraans. She pleaded with them not to harm the innocent during their attack, and Ludiar gave her his word, promising not to hurt children and their mothers. He also assured her that she would be protected. Ludiar took the information to Pailomen, who was glad to hear it. A spy was then sent into Aryantha, and he confirmed that the message was true. Being convinced, Ludiar and Pailomen wrote letters across the neighboring regions for a conspiracy against Aryantha. Reaching the spirit world, the gods warned Zylo's soldiers to return home in peace, but they were determined to accomplish their mission. So they started a battle they could not fight. The gods were extremely powerful; they rode on chariots of fire, and their forces were irresistible. Zylo's soldiers faced woe at the hands of the angry gods. Their weapons were of no use, as they were given no chance to fight back, even though they made worthless efforts. The strongest warriors became cowards, running away for their dear lives but finding no escape route, and they were all destroyed. One night, while Zylo was asleep, dreaming of becoming an unstoppable god, he was woken up by a loud trumpet blown from afar. In the old days, such trumpets signified the call for war. At this terrible moment, Lecias was nowhere to be found. Zylo looked from his castle and saw thousands of burning arrows flying into his palace. He was overwhelmed with fright, knowing that he was now powerless. It was a very bad night for Zylo because Shakkiraa and Gajida united with other nations, forming a strong army that surrounded the whole of Aryantha, leaving no escape route. Now, reality brought a nightmare to Zylo's face. With his naked eyes, he watched the arrival of his doom, yet he was unable to wake from his slumber. His army tried to fight back, but the power from the opposition was higher than theirs. Soon, parts of the palace were set ablaze and crowded by enemies. Zylo had no choice but to fight for himself since his soldiers could no longer keep him safe. He swung his sword and took down the first group of soldiers that came his way. Then, another group attacked him, but he was still strong enough to defeat them until Ludiar and eight giant warriors surrounded him. Ludiar's eyes reflected ire and hatred as he stared at Zylo. "Zylo of Aryantha, your teeth have bitten more than your tiny mouth can chew, and today you shall pay bitterly for all your sins," said Ludiar. "Little boy, your father was wiser and greater than you, yet it took just a single drop of sweat to wipe him off. So what makes you think you can overcome me?" Zylo uttered proudly. "The lion is strong indeed, but when angry hyenas fall out in good numbers, then the lion's pawns become powerless," said Ludiar, and the fight continued. Zylo fought with all his strength and killed six of the warriors before Ludiar finally managed to knock him down. Yet he refused to quit even at the point of death. Despite all the cuts and stabs from Ludiar, Zylo kept struggling, hoping for the return of his exiled warriors, whom by then had all perished in the spirit world. Lastly, a broad smile ran across Ludiar's face as soon as Zylo took in a deep breath and ceased to shake. "Father! It is finished. Your son has fulfilled his promise. Here lies the lifeless body of your murderer," he shouted out, referring to the spirit of his late father. The defeat of Zylo was indeed a happy moment for all his enemies. All his remaining soldiers surrendered and were captured, but mercy was shown unto them, so they were not killed. All the kingdoms and empires that had been taken over by Zylo were returned, together with every stolen property. The prisoners and slaves were set free, and the main lands of Aryantha were shared equally among the surrounding empires that took part in the battle. However, for the sake of Lecias, the people of Aryantha were not enslaved, but they became minor indigenes of various empires, except for Lecias, who was well honored and made the prime minister of Shakkiraa.