Friday Afternoon With London 


He’s trying to finish some stuff up,

On a Friday afternoon,

Another day at the virtual office,

Reports and budgets and emails and so on,

And he’s having a lot of trouble focusing,

Because London has been struggling to walk,

All day long,

And London hasn’t eaten anything,

Which means she hasn’t taken any medicine,

Which explains why she’s really hurting,

He wants to focus,

On his London,

Knowing that she’s unwell,

Makes his heart hurt,

So he decides to log off for the day,

And then he sits down on the ground,

Next to London’s fluffy pink bed,

So that he can give her some pets.



Rice Crackers


He’s picking up some groceries,

At the co-op,

Mostly shopping for himself,

But he’s also stocking up,

On tamari sesame rice crackers,

He’s been having trouble getting London,

To eat,

Which is a big problem,

Because he’s mixing the pain medication,

Into her food,

Which is the way it has to be done,

And London has been gobbling up,

These rice crackers recently,

So he picks up six packs,

He just wants her to be okay.



First Meal of the Day


He’s back home with London,

Preparing another meal for her,

She’s hardly eaten today,

This time he’s giving her some tuna,

Which is a special treat,

And some of those rice crackers she likes,

London looks at him patiently,

As he prepares her food,

Then he puts her bowl on the ground,

He’s filled with hope and anxiety,

If London eats,

The pain medication can do its thing,

He watches as she examines,

The bowl’s contents,

And then she starts eating,

Quickly and voraciously,

In a couple of minutes,

She’s eaten everything,

Licking the bowl now,

He’s so happy for this small win,

A little after 4pm,

And his daughter’s had,

Her first meal of the day.


Taylor Dibbert is a widely published writer, journalist, and poet. He’s author of the Peace Corps memoir “Fiesta of Sunset,” and the forthcoming poetry collection “Home Again.”

 

Happiness is…

 Happiness! This 4-letter word embodies all the virtues of the world.

   Everyone defines happiness differently.

 Happiness for someone:

 – to achieve a great career;

 – to have a car;

 -use of the latest model phone;

 – construction of a house on the ground floor;

 – to sit at the same table with high-ranking people – happiness!

   But at the moment there are few for some:

 -coming into this world;

 -seeing the sun in the early morning;

 – having breakfast with the family;

 – giving a smile;

 – looking forward to the release of the first book;

 – building a family, raising children, pampering grandchildren;

 – living in love among loved ones is happiness..!

  So, this sentence of the Hero of Uzbekistan Erkin Vahidov can fully reveal the sentence of happiness:

   What else is missing from you?

   Happiness in reality is to win!

   Not everyone is lucky,

   To breathe in the morning!

Nilufar Ruxillayeva, a 1st-level student of foreign language and literature at the Faculty of Foreign Philology of the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek. Argentina’s Juntos por las Letras, Egypt’s Creativity, Art, Culture Organization, India’s Iqra Fund Organization, India’s All Indian Council for  Organization of Technical Skill Development, Kyrgyz Union of Writers, Member of Kazakhstan “Double Wing” Writers Union, Council for Technical Skill Development, National Human rights and humanitarian federation, Glory Future Foundation member! Official guest of Stars international university conference!

Creative works: published in Great Britain, Uzbekistan, America, India, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldavia and posted on the Internet!  She was awarded with a badge and “Letter of trust”.In addition, she participated in the 02.02.2023 issue of “Bekajon” newspaper with her biography!

Kavya Kishor is the winner of the best author category.
She is a practicing child of the “Ibrat” children’s project. The anthology HEART TO HEART was published and put on sale in Great Britain.  FM 101.3 broadcasts “A minute with literature” on Bukhara radio.

Another Peacock

        A non-exclusive Release of 
         Heartfelt that Matters

    My Rest comforts 
                   Time's Engine 

 The staggering rhythm 
        that rests  in  Awe
        of   LOVES Rising 

            •          •          •

           Daylight upon 
       Soothed that knows
    That knows in the Quiet 

 Appreciate a gift 
poured from the Timeless 
      Oceans 
                 of
                    LOVE 



 by John Edward Culp 
      March 11, 2023

Welcome to March’s second issue of Synchronized Chaos!

Our friend and collaborator Rui Carvalho reminds us about our Nature Writing Contest for 2022.

This is an invitation to submit poems and short stories related to trees, water, and nature conservation between now and the April 1st, 2023 deadline. More information and submission instructions here.

This month, Synchronized Chaos’ contributors explore our senses and perceptions of the world, and how we process them through thoughts and feelings.

Channie Greenberg sends us colorful images of marine and freshwater fish in various settings, while Mark Young’s non-representational art revels in the joy of line and color. Michael Barbeito aims to capture the spirit, or the essence, of the scenes he depicts. Nathan Anderson provides a visual rendering of a cacophonous stereo sonic landscape.

Jim Meirose crafts a surreal doctor’s visit that goes awry, while Martina Gallegos relates an anecdote about a pigeon who flies into an elementary school classroom, to the wonderment of the children.

Faiza Yahaya Maibasira’s poetry expresses her awe at life, friendship, and love. Sayani Mukherjee’s piece depicts a mystical union with nature or a lover, while John Edward Culp’s piece reflects the otherworldly ecstasy of true love, which includes grace given for the times when he falls out of sync with his partner.

Emina Delilovic-Kevric also speaks to creation and spiritual questing on a more intimate, personal level, within an uncertain world.

Aliyu Umar Muhammad relates her inner spiritual journey to find beauty in tumultuous surroundings, while Lewis LaCook provides a meditative look at life when we slow down to nature’s timescales.

J.D. Nelson’s haikus on ordinary subjects convey a bit of mystery and curiosity, while Karol Nielsen writes of the ironic and incongruous moments of daily life.

Susan Hodara explores the different ‘itches’ we experience, which becomes a meditation on the nature of desire. Daniel De Culla probes our human foibles and transgressions in his piece on the locals at a village cafe.

Jaylan Salah profiles Egyptian rapper D.A.R.KK. and discusses the appeal of his original songs, sharing both joy and struggle.

Christian Emecheta’s sci-fi piece conveys how we can manage the dangers of deep emotions rather than suppressing them and losing part of our humanity.

Mahbub Alam develops a more balanced perspective on life when he stares out at the moon, and then, later, when he remembers the brave history of his home nation, Bangladesh.

Farok Faisal literally “reflects” on himself by looking in a mirror, wondering how age has changed him. Santiago Burdon’s protagonist confesses and expresses remorse for an action born of hate and ignorance that shamed him for decades.

Joseph Wechselberger relates how we serve as spectators to various types of trauma. Sarah Burgess expresses her inner anguish at being excluded and viewed as a burden, while J.J. Campbell processes his life’s losses with a mixture of defiant nostalgia and despair.

Peter Cherches speaks to wear and tear over time, of machinery and relationships. Mesfakus Salahin reminds us that while death is a part of our existence, it does not carry the last word.

Mario Loprete consigns pieces of our modern urban landscapes to posterity by sculpting them in concrete. A. Iwasa also addresses themes of cultural preservation with his review of Phil Cohen’s Archive That, Comrade! Taylor Dibbert looks at social media as a modern archive, considering the paradoxical relationships we can have with our digital memories.

Z.I. Mahmud contributes his own personal ‘archive,’ a set of his favorite literary quotes and reflections on historical authors.

Norman J. Olson reflects on his artistic correspondence with Beat poet Charles Bukowski and considers that he’d like to emulate the man’s craft, but not his life.

Maurizio Brancaleoni evokes the difficulty of conveying his literary intentions within his poetry, while Chimezie Ihekuna urges perseverance, in artistic craft as well as in life.

We hope you enjoy the panoply of works included in this issue!

  

My son in his thirties

I dreamed that I gave birth to a son in his thirties

A tall blond man

He went through all the plays in the nearby theater with me

He believed, like me, that poetry can save us a little more

He was telling me how happy he is

I held his hand and said I believe

How he cares about totally irrelevant stuff,

like most of the human race.

Hearts of girls he will take each day

The jacket he saw in passing, books to buy,

but he doesn’t have enough money yet.

I listened to him attentively

As men with a deep voice are listened to

While reciting poetry by the fire

I woke up

The announcer was announcing on the radio

Several new world disasters

I touched my stomach

And he reciprocated.

Revolutionist

He was a revolutionary man

He waved from the top of the frenzied village

I invented a woman who flies

I see her every night

I make her womb out of wet clay

And a couple of kisses.

I breathe into her the joyful rain

Then, when it flies away, I shout with all my might

That I love her

Nothing ever came out of it

Except my rust.

What are you missing today?

Power cube

Legs that will carry you

Although the bones remain inside

You will leave all other phenomena

Trapped on the shelves

What are you missing today, when you don’t have time to think

About the soul, happiness, aspirations, not even about suffering

Like recycled material, you smell of use value

A factory woman with an apron over her swollen, congenital stomach

Adds colorful blocks to the leather boots of the A series

Bare-handed and barefoot rows across the sea.