Lettera di una madre

Tu non hai ricordi
di quando eri piccolo,
come un fagiolino
piantato nel mio ventre.
E già ti volevo bene:
il tuo cuore batteva dentro di me,
insieme al mio.

Crescendo, volevi esplorare il mondo,
e tra i dolori miei
e le tue spinte,
sei venuto alla luce,
puntandomi quegli occhi belli
che parevano fanali,
illuminando il mio viso.

Mi cercasti subito il seno,
e ti sfamai.
Un tuo sorriso
era la ricompensa
di tutti i miei dolori passati
e dei sogni futuri verso di te.

Affrontare le malattie dell’infanzia
non è stato facile.
Poi venne il giorno
in cui ti portai all’asilo:
mi si stringeva il cuore
al sentire i tuoi pianti.
Ma dovevi crescere,
e imparare con me
quanto può essere dura la vita.

Essere madre non è facile,
ma non lo è nemmeno
diventare grandi
e restare lontani
dalla malvagità altrui.

Tu dovevi diventare
un uomo giusto,
saggio e coraggioso.
Così, con amore,
ti presi per mano
e ti sussurrai all’orecchio
la sapienza.

Ed ora che sono vecchia,
stringimi la mano,
e accompagnami anche tu
là dove tutto è cominciato.
Chiuderò gli occhi
per, un giorno,
rinascere in una nuova vita.

Zaira Sellerio

Letter from a mother

You have no memories

of when you were little,

like a little bean

planted in my belly.

And I already loved you:

your heart beat inside me,

along with mine.

Growing up, you wanted to explore the world,

and between my pains

and your thrusts,

you came into the light,

pointing those beautiful eyes

that looked like headlights,

lighting up my face.

You immediately sought my breasts,

and I fed you.

A smile from you

was the reward

of all my past sorrows

and future dreams towards you.

Dealing with childhood illnesses

was not easy.

Then came the day

when I took you to kindergarten:

my heart clenched

at hearing your cries.

But you had to grow up,

and learn with me

how hard life can be.

Being a mother is not easy,

but neither is

becoming great

and staying away

from the wickedness of others.

You had to become

a just man,

wise and brave.

So, with love,

I took you by the hand

and whispered in your ear

wisdom.

And now that I am old,

shake my hand,

and accompany me too

to where it all began.

I will close my eyes

to, one day,

be reborn into a new life.

Zaira Sellerio

Review

This poem is a touching tribute to maternal love and the deep and indissoluble bond that unites a mother to her child. With delicacy and emotional intensity, the author retraces the fundamental stages of a child’s growth, from conception to adulthood, giving voice to a mother’s most authentic and visceral feelings.

Every moment recounted – from sweet expectation to birth, from the first conquests to the inevitable separations – is imbued with tenderness, pain, hope and wisdom. Universal themes emerge: the fatigue of growing up, the need to face life’s difficulties, and the profound desire for one’s son to become a just, strong and aware man.

The finale, in which the now elderly mother asks to be accompanied on her last journey, is not just a farewell, but an invitation to keep and pass on all the love, wisdom and care she has received. It is a gesture that seals continuity between generations, leaving the son to carry on the light that once guided him.

A bit of history

Mother’s Day is a civil celebration widespread in many countries, created to honour the mother figure and her social role. Its roots go back to antiquity, with Greek and Roman cults dedicated to deities such as Rhea and Cybele. In modern times, it was in the United States that the current holiday took shape: in 1872 Julia Ward Howe proposed a day for mothers, but it was Anna Jarvis who institutionalised it in 1907, setting it on the second Sunday in May, a date made official by President Wilson in 1914. It became widespread in Europe after the First World War: Switzerland (1917), Germany (1923), France (1950) and Italy (1957). Today, the holiday is celebrated in most parts of the world, mainly between March and May, with different traditions and dates depending on the country.

Some awards for her work

• National Poetry Award “Arturo Massimi” in October 1999 in Mentana – Rome.
• Plaque for the Narrative Award at the International Competition “Pelosa” in Messina, November 2000.
• Poetry Plaque in October 2000 awarded by the Province of Rome.
• International Competition “Antonio de Curtis” in Rome.
• Poets and Society Award, Swiss German Delegation (international competition, honorable mention).
• Unpublished Poetry Award, 5th Edition of the “Premio/l’attualità – Bartolucci”, finalist diploma, October 27, 2001.
• International Artistic-Literary Competition, Antonio de Curtis “Totò”, Rome, October 22, 2002.
• ALIAS (Academy of Italian-Australian Literature and Writers, in collaboration with C.R.A.S.E.S. in Palermo).
• International Literary Competition, 3rd Prize ex aequo for Poetry, October 10, 2003.
• First Poetry Prize at the Gallery “Il Salotto dell’Arte”, Rome, March 22, 2009.
• “Premio Una Vita per la Cultura”, Galleria Salotto dell’Arte, Rome.
• 2014 – IV International Literary Award Europe for the novel (Dal Profondo del Cuore) – May 11, 2014, Lugano.
• II Navarro Prize for the novel (Dal Profondo del Cuore), May 13, 2018, in Sambuca di Sicilia, Sicily.
• Special Award “Lilly Broggi – La Pergola Arte” for the novel (Dal Profondo del Cuore), Florence, October 27, 2018.
• V Prize for the novel (Dal Profondo del Cuore) at Versilia Club’s “Massa Città Fiabesca di Mare e di Marmo”, September 28, 2019.
• 1st International Prize dedicated to the feminine universe “Donne d’Amore” V. Barrett, Poetry Section (Sui Gradini di Piazza di Spagna).
• 1st Prize for the Literature – Novel category for the work (Il Coraggio è Femmina), Rome, May 22, 2023.
• Poetry Award “Ai Tuoi Piedi” in the city of Mercogliano (AV) for the poem (E là incontrai mia Madre), September 8, 2024.
• XI Edition SAN VALENTINO AWARD – City of Atripalda (AV) – Cupid Award World Wide Section – for the poem ‘Ich habe dich geliebt’ (I loved you) 26-27 April 2025
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