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Préface Chers lecteurs, chères lectrices, C'est avec une sincère reconnaissance que je vous accueille dans l'univers poétique d'ÉCLATS D'ESPÉRANCE, une anthologie qui dépasse les barrières du langage pour capturer l'essence profonde de l'âme humaine. En tant qu' initiatrice du Groupe Fb: LES COMPAGNONS DES CALAMES ENGAGÉS: "CDCE" et anthologiste de cette collection exceptionnelle, je suis comblée de partager avec vous ces fragments de vie, ces éclats d'émotions qui ont trouvé leur écho au fil de ces pages. ÉCLATS D'ESPÉRANCE va au-delà d'une simple compilation de poèmes; c'est un périple à travers les pensées, les rêves et les réalités de 52 poètes engagés venant de divers horizons. Chaque poème représente une éclatante expression d'amour, d'espoir, et de la quête universelle de compréhension. Je vous convie à explorer, à ressentir et à célébrer la diversité de l'expérience humaine à travers ces pages. Que chaque poème soit une porte ouverte à la réflexion, à l'amour et à la fraternité. Avec toute la poésie de mon coeur, Saliha Ragad, also known as Khalice Jade. Foreword Dear Readers, I extend my heartfelt gratitude as I welcome you to the poetic universe of 'SHARDS OF HOPE, ' an anthology transcending language barriers to capture the profound essence of the human soul. As the founder of the Facebook Group 'THE COMPANIONS OF COMMITTED PENS: CDCE' and the anthologist of this exceptional collection, "I am delighted to share with you fragments of life and shards of emotions resonating within the pages of this anthology." "SHARDS OF HOPE" goes beyond a mere compilation of poems; it is a journey through the thoughts, dreams, and realities of 50 committed poets from diverse backgrounds. Each poem represents a radiant expression of love, hope, and the universal quest for understanding. I invite you to explore, feel, and celebrate the diversity of the human experience within these pages. May each poem be an open door to reflection, love, and fraternity." With all the poetry of my heart, Saliha Ragad, also known as Khalice Jade.

ForewordRenowned Poets: Nazım Hikmet The March 2024 issue of our international monthly book, The Year of the Poet, has its focus on the Turkish modernist poet, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, director, memoirist and activist Nazım Hikmet. As a native from Turkey-born, raised and schooled there, who independently studied the books of this "Blue-Eyed Giant" after the ban on them was lifted in 1965, I assert that his life and works demand voluminous analyses . . . a task that cannot be completed within the constraints of this text. Being acutely aware of the challenge at hand, I shall resort to your understanding for the brevity of my words. A few factual glimpses on the personal and literary phenomenon that the name Nazım Hikmet embodies will have to suffice. One three-step-fact remains unchanged; namely, that Nazım is universally acknowledged as Turkey's exceptional modern poet but also as a world poet, and has exhausted-continues to exhaust-the research venues of countless minds at home as well as abroad. Nazım Hikmet was born in 1902 as Mehmet Nazım Ran in Selânik and raised in Istanbul. When Turkey was occupied by her allies after World War I, he left for the Soviet Union [sic]. His higher education included his degree in Economics and Sociology at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East in Moscow. It is there where Russian Futurists and Symbolists, writers and visual artists, as well as Lenin's ideology influenced him. When the Turkish War of Independence resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1924, Hikmet returned to Turkey. Soon after his return to his beloved motherland Turkey, Nazım started working for Aydınlık, a liberal newspaper. Having stigmatized his person and his work as "Communist", the Turkish state banned his poems. In addition, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sedition but fled to the Soviet Union, returning to Turkey in 1928 and settling in İstanbul. There, he worked at various newspapers and magazines and film studios, published his first poetry books and wrote his plays (1928-1932). In 1938, Nazım Hikmet was charged as a "traitor" for the crime of inciting the Turkish armed forces to revolt. He was sentenced to 28 years and 4 months in prison. After serving approximately 11 years of his sentence, an international campaign fought for his release. A committee that included Pablo Picasso, Paul Robeson, and Jean-Paul Sartre was formed in 1949, and in the spring of 1950, Hikmet began a hunger strike in protest of the Turkish Parliament for its failure to include an amnesty law in its agenda before it closed for the upcoming general election. He was freed under the forgiveness law of 1950 at last. As the recorded numbers and facts of history reveal, much of Nazım Hikmet's life was spent behind prison walls: 17 years in Turkish prisons and another 12 years in exile. After his death of a heart attack in Moscow in 1963, his works continued to be banned in Turkey until 1965. Multiple decades after his death, highly justified celebrations are being conducted around the world for this "Blue-Eyed Giant", as Nazım Hikmet became to be known posthumously. Knowing now that he knew to say "I lived", it seems only appropriate for us to conclude our brief visit with his own celebratory words: [...] hülya n. yılmaz, Ph.D. Professor Emerita (Liberal Arts), Penn State, U.S.A.Director of Editing Services atInner Child Press International, U.S.A.

Preface The journey to Egypt was a life changing experience. Flashbacks floating down the Nile River embraced me with memories bubbling in the solitude of a river's flow. With each day I was caught in the moment of a revelation of connection through time and space. My muse challenged me to capture my visions and wrap words around what I was seeing, feeling, hearing throughout the landscape that tickled and teased my soul. I felt a wave of redemption bathe my soul in the light of humility and the blessing of an eagle's vision. This collection rides on the waves of past lives that grabbed me in the reverent walks through the temples and tombs of a regal civilization and my connection to that landscape and people of that era. This was a growth opportunity on my personal journey into a window of time. The stories on the walls gave me lights of understanding to move my learning curve forward. The recognition that every encounter is an opportunity to expand our consciousness is a gift. Enlightenment comes in subtle ways. Every breath, every step, every thought, every utterance from the temple and tomb walls sent messages to me at every moment I was ready to receive the voice of ancient tongues. I float in gratitude for the exposure to this ancient history that weighed heavily on my heart strings. I felt the load of a civilization rising from the sand in my dreams and meditations across a two-week time span of now that floated back 4000 plus years. My muse is still singing and dancing to the unveiled lyrics of ancient Egypt. The power of Spirit to call us out is available to all souls. Each of us is a messenger and a seeker on different pathways to our destination. Our experiences and reactions are individually different. Those differences are tools for learning and growth when we embrace the writing of others. May you be moved by the intensity of my time travel shapeshifting between the land of Egypt and my beloved New Mexico home. I pay homage to the eleven souls and our tour guide who shared this journey with me and the everlasting bond we made in the heat of the Egyptian Desert and the royal comfort of our Egyptian yacht. Each one of us assimilated knowledge in our own personal way. But the laughter we shared and the moments of awesome recognition of the power of what we saw melded our energy in positive memories. Teresa E. GallionBlessingsFebruary 2024