All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

TATI’S TRANSLATIONS // Young Ukrainian Poets: Illia Rudijko | unbolt me

Tati Translates Illia Rudijko

Literary classics aren’t always created by the greying elder statesmen and women of the writing world. You know the ones. They’re all wise and wrinkly and impassive, and woe betide the scholar who dares mount an honest critique of their bodies of work.

You see, literary classics are also written by upstart youngsters. These youngsters are full of vitality and creativity. They live fully awake and fully aware during these very difficult times. Nothing escapes their notice and they’re unafraid to share what they really think. They walk among us right now, breathing, smiling and crying, loving and hating, experiencing the full range of their humanity without apology.

This series presents names that you won’t find in textbooks or on Wikipedia, but these are the very youngsters who are creating modern Ukrainian literature right now. Trust us, you will want to check them out because it’s only a matter of time before they become household names. When we go back to these writers in two hundred years, we have no doubt that they’ll be mentioned in the same breath as luminaries such as Taras Shevchenko and Lesya Ukrainka.

/Kateryna: girding the world/

i taped up the windows with scotch tape
so
when it explodes
the carpet won’t be sown with
glass debris
’cause suddenly they will sprout

i taped up the fish tank with scotch tape
so
when it explodes
it won’t leak
the shadows of sunk fish

i taped up the mirror with scotch tape
so when it explodes i will still be able to see in my home myself

i taped up a frame with scotch tape
but
with the black one
and only one corner of the photo

the only thing
for which the scotch tape ran out
it’s me
so, i stand broken
with my forehead cracked up
and space goes through me
like through a smashed windowpane

/Катерина: підперезування світу/

я заклеїла вікна скотчем
аби
коли вибухне
килим не всіяло
уламками скла
бо раптом ще проростуть

я заклеїла акваріум скотчем
аби
коли вибухне
звідти не витекли
тіні потоплених риб

я заклеїла дзеркало скотчем
аби
коли вибухне
я ще змогла побачити
у себе вдома
себе

я заклеїла рамку скотчем
але
чорним
і тільки в куті фотографії

єдине
на що забракло скотча
це я
тож стою розбита
з потрісканим чолом
і простір проходить крізь мене
ніби крізь вибиту шибку

Original poem by ILLIA RUDIJKO
Translation by TETIANA ALEKSINA
© All rights reserved 2024

Source: TATI’S TRANSLATIONS // Young Ukrainian Poets: Illia Rudijko | unbolt me

📸 Photographs Down Memory Lane | From Behind the Pen

Image Credit: Rodolfo Clix

Recently I pulled out my stored photo albums to try to put them in order so that it doesn’t look like I am suffering from a disorder! Turning the pages, seeing the faces of people who I grew up with, family members who are no longer with us, and snapshots from vacations and special events make me whip out my box of tissues and get lost in my emotions.

After I graduated from high school I took a course in commercial graphics at our local technical college. I actually loved developing the film in the darkroom, even though it could have been a chemical disaster if I wasn’t careful.

While I embrace technology, I simply am not a fan of using my smartphone as a camera all the time, although it is convenient. After a nightmare a few years ago while having a technician help me transfer my data from my old phone to my new one, guess what didn’t transfer? My pictures. It was supposed to have been easy access and a simple transfer from “The Cloud” but I don’t know where that “Cloud” went with my pictures! UGH!

I love the feel of my actual digital and 35mm cameras so that I can process the pictures, put them in my designated photo album, pull them out, and look at them later to reminisce whenever I want to. I guess I can get easily annoyed, scrolling through a never-ending gallery of pictures I’ve taken on my “SMARTphone,” just to find the one I’m looking for. Kodak, Polaroid, and Fuji, I miss y’all! 📸

The Photograph

capturing the stillness of a pose so deep
what story does a picture tell
how many words is it really worth?

what emotions are exchanged at a glance
the essence of a sentiment frozen in a moment
the heartbeat and smile of a love so pure?

will the photo emit the sweet innocence of life
a shout with excitement or quiet calm
or echo the hidden agony of bondage endured?

the photographs behind plastic sleeves
a canvas of still life that seizes my attention
I laugh, I cry, I frown, I remember

glances with wandering eyes, closed lids, or eyes focused
still life, which becomes a snapshot of the past not hidden
the shutter images through a camera lens it casts.

©2015 Kym Gordon Moore

Minnie Riperton (1947-1979) – Mother of actress and comedian Maya Rudolph, and music engineer Marc Rudolph. She could certainly take octaves to a different level than anyone I heard back then and now, a five-octave vocal range to be exact. She died from breast cancer the same year this record was released.

Source: 📸 Photographs Down Memory Lane | From Behind the Pen

“A Cry for Help” by Dawn Pisturino – MasticadoresUsa // Editor: Barbara Leonhard //

Photo by Arthur Brognoli on Pexels.com
A crimson line across her wrist.
A bracelet of blood.
A visible cry for help,
But nobody comes.
She’s all alone again
To face the ordeal of life:
The challenges, the pain,
The turmoil in her brain.
Death seems like a safe escape,
But her body wants to live!
She picks up the phone
And calls the hotline – her lifeline!
A familiar voice answers.
I’ve done it again, she says.
The voice murmurs reassurance and positive affirmations.
Okay, I will, she answers,
And hangs up the phone.
She dials 9-1-1 and repeats the details of her actions.
Soon, the ambulance pulls up to her door.
She is not alone.

Copyright © 2024 Dawn Pisturino
All Rights Reserved

Dawn Pisturino is a retired nurse in Arizona whose international publishing credits include poems, short stories, and articles. Her poetry has appeared in several anthologies, most recently in Hidden in Childhood: A Poetry Anthology, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women, and the 2023 Arizona Literary Magazine. She is a Mystery Writers of America and Arizona Authors Association member.

Source: “A Cry for Help” by Dawn Pisturino – MasticadoresUsa // Editor: Barbara Leonhard //

Open Thread | The Democratic National Convention Begins Today …Vice President Harris Gave Her First Print Interview | 3CHICSPOLITICO

With Essence Magazine

best of kamala harris
@archivekamala
I love how
@wangawoman
started the interview by asking who
@KamalaHarris
is. But her answer is what I love most. 💛
https://x.com/archivekamala/status/1823393515008647589

 

ESSENCE
@Essence
In this pivotal election, Black women everywhere could, for the first time, see a reflection of our grandmother’s dreams as Commander in Chief.

This moment isn’t just about casting a ballot; it’s about claiming our space, our rights, and our future. That isn’t lost on Vice President Kamala Harris.

She knows where she stands, firmly at the intersection of freedom and power. We’re not just voting; we’re shaping a legacy of freedom for generations to come. The stakes are high, but so is her spirit.

In a very special Chief -to- Chief interview filmed at the 30th ESSENCE Festival of Culture, ESSENCE Ventures CEO and President Caroline Wanga sat down with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss what inspired her to enter politics, her plans as President, and the potential impact of the upcoming election on everyone.

This is our special, Collector’s Edition September / October subscriber cover.

Read her cover story here: https://essence.com/culture/chief-to-chief-undeterred-unprecedented-unwavering/

Source: Open Thread | The Democratic National Convention Begins Today …Vice President Harris Gave Her First Print Interview | 3CHICSPOLITICO

Pagan(Bagan), Myanmar (Burma) – Pagan(Bagan), Mjanmar (Burma) – Myrela

U jugoistočnoj Aziji postoje dvije religijske prijestonice, Pagan (ili Bagan) u Mjanmaru (Burma) i Angkor u Kambodži. Širom svijeta, poznata po brojnim i veličanstvenim spomenicima, ta dva grada prošla si kroz dva, potpuno različita, razvojna obrasca. Dok je Angkor skriven usred džungle, gdje priroda neumorno nastoji da preotme prostor koji je osvojio čovjek, ruševine Pagana nalaze se na suvoj, goloj ravnici, na kojoj ništa ne može ostati skriveno. U ovom drugom gradu nalazi se na hiljade hramova, koji se savršeno razlikuju jedan od drugog i pružaju, u nedogled, na prostoru od 3.965 hektara.

Udaljen 480 kilometara ka sjeveru od Jangona (nekada Ranguna) i 193 kilometra ka jugu od Mandaleja, Pagan se nalazi na istočnoj obali rijeke Iravadi i dominira centralnom burmanskom ravnicom. Iako je zvanično osnovan 849. godine, arheološka iskopavanja pokazala su da je, u to vrijeme, ovaj grad već bio veliko naselje naroda Pju, etničke grupe koja je migrirala ili s tibetansko-burmanske visoravni ili iz Indije. U X vijeku Pjue su protjerali ili asimilovali osvajači iz Junana, tako da je bez njih centralna Burma ostala bez vlasti. S druge strane, južna Burma, posebno oblast oko delte Iravadija, bila je od VI vijeka pod vlašću Mona, naroda iz Istočne Indije ili, prema drugoj teoriji, iz jugoistočne Azije. U VIII i IX vijeku narod Bamar ili Burmanci, sa istočnih Himalaja, ispunjavaju vakuum vlasti koji su u centralnoj Burmi ostavili Pjui i zauzimaju prostor današnjeg Pagana, koji su izabrali za prijestonicu. Pagan je počeo da stiče sve veći značaj kada je na prijesto došao kralj Anavrata. U to vrijeme Bamarci, koji su prvo slijedili mješavinu tantrizma i mahajanskog budizma, postepeno su prešli na teravadski budizam. Manhua, monski kralj iz Tatona, uspio je da preobrati kralja Anavratu u teravadski budizam, ali kada je ovaj kasnije zahtijevao da mu se predaju budistički spisi i relikvije iz Tatona, Manhua je to glatko odbio, jer nije vjerovao u iskrenu posvećenost preobraćenika. Anavrata je zato zauzeo Taton 1057. godine i zarobio monskog kralja. Anavratin trijumfalni povratak u prijestonicu – s poraženim Manhuom u svojoj povorci – označio je početak prvog burmanskog carstva i doba najveće slave Pagana.

Source: Pagan(Bagan), Myanmar (Burma) – Pagan(Bagan), Mjanmar (Burma) – Myrela