L’uomo sulla neve
Un uomo è disteso per terra,
coperto dalla neve.
Tanta gente gli si raduna intorno,
qualcuno mormora:
“Povero vecchio!”
e, in un gesto di pietà,
lo copre con la propria giacca.
“Chi è?”, domando.
“Non si sa”, mi rispondono.
“Non ha documenti.
Un dolore lo ha piegato su se stesso,
e poi è stramazzato.”
Di lui restano solo le orme,
tracce lasciate sulla neve,
prima di morire.
Il cuore di quel vecchio, immagino,
ha ceduto.
“Si può morire così,
senza nessuno accanto,
in un solo istante?”
Che pena!
Il telefono squilla.
Un prete mi dà la notizia.
Corro all’ospedale.
Mi chiedono:
“È suo padre?”
Quell’uomo,
disteso per terra,
sulla neve,
era lui.
E io,
avevo avuto pietà
di mio padre…
Zaira Sellerio
The man in the snow
A man is lying on the ground,
covered by snow.
Many people gather around him,
someone murmurs:
‘Poor old man!’
and, in a gesture of pity,
covers him with his jacket.
‘Who is he?’, I ask.
‘No one knows,’ they reply.
‘He has no papers.
A pain bent him over himself,
and then he collapsed.’
All that remains of him are footprints,
traces left in the snow,
before he died.
The old man’s heart, I guess,
gave out.
‘One can die like that,
with no one beside you,
in a single instant?’
What a pity!
The phone rings.
A priest gives me the news.
I run to the hospital.
They ask me:
‘Is that your father?’
The man,
lying on the ground,
in the snow,
was him.
And I,
I had taken pity
of my father…
Zaira Sellerio
Review
‘The Man in the Snow’ is a poignant poem inspired by a true story that happened to an acquaintance of the author. The text recounts with touching simplicity the sudden death of a man, taken ill – perhaps a heart attack – while he was alone, outdoors, on a snowy day.
The poem opens with the description of an almost cinematic scene: a man lying in the snow, surrounded by people watching him with pity, unable to help him. Someone has seen him keel over, but life has left him too quickly. The man’s identity is initially unknown, and only at the end is it revealed that he is the narrator’s father.
The strength of the poem lies in its ability to transform a personal tragedy into a universal reflection. The images of snow and footprints left on the ground delicately evoke the theme of transience: life breaking down in an instant and traces vanishing, like ephemeral marks in the snow.
Knowing that someone witnessed the man’s last moments makes the story even more poignant. Despite the presence of witnesses, death arrives silent and inexorable, underlining the loneliness that often accompanies the crucial moments of existence.
The author leads us to reflect on the unpredictability of life, the family bond and the regret that emerges when it is too late to do or say what one would have wanted. It is a poem that speaks to the heart, reminding us of the fragility of existence and the importance of not neglecting those we love.
Some recognitions for her works
- 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.
