Two Poems by Nasir Aijaz

Mothers of the World

Women,
more than half the world, they say,
but I see more,
I see the rest
as their sons.

For who among us was not born
from the warm silence
of a woman’s breath?

The earth itself
feels like a mother’s palm,
rough with work,
soft with mercy.

She carries us all,
in wombs,
in words,
in wounds that never close.

Every man walking in pride
is a child she once held
against her beating heart.

So count again,
the world is not divided,
it is doubled with her presence.

Women are not half,
they are the whole,
and we,
the echoes of their beginning.
□

Be Mindful

When you awake,
and open your eyes, my sweet,
be mindful 
let not all your dreams
slip away
from the depths of your eyes,
lost in forgetfulness.

Dreams —
of ages of longing,
of beauty and adornment,
of a world woven in love,
cherished with the beloved’s care.

Be mindful,
when you awake...!
□

- Nasir Aijaz
(Journalist, Researcher and Poet)
Sindh, Pakistan 

Nasir Aijaz, based in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province of Pakistan, is basically a journalist and researcher having spent over 50 years in the field of journalism. He won Gold Medal and another award for best reporting in 1988 and 1989. He has worked in key positions of editor for newspapers and news agencies. He also worked as a TV Anchor (For Pakistan Television) for over a decade and conducted some 400 programs from 1982 to 1992 besides appearing as analyst in dozens programs on private TV channels, Radio Pakistan and some other private Radio channels. He is the author of eleven books on history, language, literature, travelogue and biography. One of his books ‘Hur – The Freedom Fighter’, a research work on war against the British colonial forces, also won a prize. Some of his other books are unpublished. Further, he translated five books from foreign literature into Sindhi language including a poetry book of Egyptian poet Ashraf Aboul Yazid, a novel ‘Maharaja Dahir’, authored by Debasree Chakraborti of Kolkata India, and three other novels from English literature. Besides, he has written around 500 articles in English, Urdu and Sindhi, the native language of Sindh. He is editor of Sindh Courier, an online magazine and represents The AsiaN, an online news service of South Korea with regular contribution for eleven years. His articles have also been translated in Arabic and Korean languages. Some of his English articles were published in Singapore and India and Nigeria. Some of his poems have been translated in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and Malayalam, Albanian, Italian, Greek,Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese and some languages published in Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Iraq, Bangladesh, India, Kosovo, USA, Tajikistan, Greece, Italy, Germany, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Albania, and some other countries. Some of his poems, translated into Chinese and Korean languages, were audio-recorded. Nasir Aijaz is one of the founding members of Korea-based Asia Journalists Association AJA. He has visited some ten Asian countries and attended international seminars.        

A POEM FOR SARA

“UNA POESIA PER SARA - A POEM FOR SARA: VERSES AGAINST SILENCE”

Just a few days ago, in the heart of November, as the world prepares to mark November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a project was completed—one that is not only literary, but deeply human and symbolic: “A Poem for Sara,” published by the Department of Literature of the Tiberina Academy and the United Nations Women’s Chair.

This book, dedicated to Sara Campanella and all victims of femicide and violence, gathers poems from every corner of the world.

It is not a simple anthology: it is a global chorus, a secular prayer, a silent cry that crosses continents, giving voice back to those who can no longer speak, tell their stories, dream, or live.

In the title echoes a name that represents many: Sara becomes a universal symbol of all those lives interrupted, abused, and killed.  

But alongside pain, the book cultivates not only the memory of all women—victims of male selfishness and cruelty—but also deep solidarity with those who still today suffer in silence.  

The poems, like gentle caresses upon the wounds of their histories, become a form of cultural resistance against indifference and injustice.  

Too often, women bury violence beneath silence; that is why poetic expression becomes an act of courage.  

Each verse in this book is a gentle weapon against darkness, a gesture that reaffirms every woman’s right to life, freedom, and dignity.  

Poetry becomes a political and ethical act, a voice of vitality, testimony to atrocity, pain, and survival-a cry for attention, calling for radical change.

Moreover, “A Poem for Sara” is also a meeting ground of cultures and sensibilities, where literature does not only console, but denounces, educates, and transforms. It is a work that echoes the call for responsibility, reminding us that we must not only be moved, but also offer our essential contribution—wherever we are, in whatever circumstance—to give voice to this important day.

As we well know, the statistics are alarming, filled with heartbreaking stories, and this book represents a collective gesture of love and commitment: for Sara… for all… for a world where no one should ever again die at the hands of someone who claimed to love them. Because love does not sow darkness or death—it sows only life. And life is breath with open eyes and a smile on the lips, not eyes closed forever.

“A POEM FOR SARA” will remain the weapon of words against violence.  

By: Angela Kosta - journalist, essayist, editor, literary critic, writer, translator, poet, international promoter

SEASONAL CONTRAST, A POEM BY SABINA DAROVA

Empty soul...  
Mornings knock over pebbles,  
like dazed doves searching for light.  

At midday,  
the soles burn with hunger  
to shorten the distance  
between who I was  
and what remains.  

In the fog  
I find scraps of old fabric,  
colors I no longer recall—  
a mosaic of bygone time  
thrown by chance on today’s doorstep.  

And then,  
the soul fills.  
From this mosaic, a tree grows.  
The earth recognizes it, trembles,  
slowly whispers the name of its fruit.  

Ah, this mulberry sweetness—  
so close,  
so motherland.  

The soul again on the scale:  
emptied and filled,  
in a winter that never ends.

- SABINA DAROVA
ALBANIA & ITALY

Biography:-
Sabina Darova, creator of the Forum of Women Project, is the recipient of the Ambassador of Peace Award, a councilor at the Provincial Equal Opportunities Council of Asti, and a member of the Board of Directors of AMMI in Turin. For 22 years, she has worked as a cultural mediator for the ASL of Asti, the Municipality, the Court, and local schools. She is also a freelance journalist for three Albanian newspapers and a poet, having published two poetry collections in the Albanian language. She was awarded the Special Prize at the Torino Film Festival during the 12th edition of the Lingua Madre Contest in Italy. She has published two poetry books in Italian: "Skin Light" and "Unfinished, the Sleeve of Winter".

THE UNWRITTEN CHAPTER, VOLUME II — A GLOBAL TAPESTRY OF LITERARY VOICES By HASSANE YARTI

With The Unwritten Chapter, Volume II, Moroccan author Hassane Yarti continues his ambitious literary endeavour to bring together the voices of writers from across continents into one resonant dialogue. Following the success of the first volume, which opened a rare window into the personal and creative worlds of contemporary authors, this new edition expands the horizon, delving even deeper into the universal questions that define literature and the human spirit.

This second volume, published by Barcelona Literary Publishing, carries the full title:

The Unwritten Chapter (Interviews with Authors), Volume II, First Edition, 2025.

It gathers seventeen remarkable voices from around the world: Angela Kosta, Antonietta Micali, Niamat Elhamri, Dr. Mujë Buçpapaj, Võ Thị Như Mai, Md Ejaj Ahamed, Kujtim Hajdari, Antonio Bernard Ma-at, Adnan Mouchahi, Cettina La Placa, Houssine Yarti, Mariela Cordero, Niloy Rafiq, Zahra Ahmed Boulahia, Prachi Gupta, Lulzim Hajdari, and Nina Alsirtawi, each contributing a distinct rhythm to the symphony of contemporary literature. Their words cross borders of geography, culture, and language, uniting in one shared pursuit: the truth of artistic expression.

In his introduction, Yarti reflects:

“If the first volume opened a door into the intimate spaces of literary creation, this one widens the horizon… The questions are the same, yet the answers echo differently, shaped by new geographies, shifting times, and the ever-changing currents of hope and uncertainty.”

Through these intimate and thought-provoking dialogues, The Unwritten Chapter, Volume II becomes more than a collection of interviews, it transforms into a chorus of literary consciousness, revealing the solitude and universality of the writer’s journey. Each conversation captures not only the writer’s craft but also the fragile balance between memory and imagination, tradition and transformation.

As a continuation of the global project launched by Yarti in the first volume, this edition reinforces his conviction that literature remains both witness and resistance; a force that heals, remembers, and redefines. It is a celebration of the written word as a bridge between voices, as an act of endurance, and as a quiet defiance against oblivion.

Yarti concludes: “Literature matters, as witness, as resistance, as healing, and as an act of faith in tomorrow.”

The book’s structure—interviews spanning continents and languages—offers a comparative study in itself. The diversity of its participants reflects a new literary cartography: from Europe to Asia, from Africa to the Americas, voices intersect around common themes of exile, belonging, identity, and resilience. Each author speaks from a different geography, yet their experiences echo the same existential quest—to find meaning through words.

Critically, Yarti’s editorial vision positions him not only as an interviewer but as a curator of thought. His questions act as bridges between cultures, while his restraint allows each writer’s individuality to shine. The dialogue becomes an art form—an exploration of what it means to write, to remember, and to remain human in times of uncertainty.

From a stylistic standpoint, The Unwritten Chapter, Volume II balances intellectual depth with emotional intimacy. The prose is lyrical yet disciplined, creating a space where philosophy meets storytelling. Readers are invited not merely to read about writers, but to inhabit their silences and struggles, to witness the invisible process through which art transforms experience into language.

Ultimately, this book is both testimony and testament—a record of literary thought in the early 21st century and a reminder that creativity continues to be a universal act of courage. In uniting so many distinct voices, Yarti affirms that the “unwritten chapter” of literature is precisely what keeps humanity writing forward.