{"id":234909,"date":"2025-03-03T09:04:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T09:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/cucchiaio-legno\/"},"modified":"2025-03-08T10:13:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T10:13:14","slug":"cucchiaio-legno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/cucchiaio-legno\/","title":{"rendered":"Il cucchiaio di legno – The wooden spoon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Il cucchiaio di legno<\/span><\/h1>\n

La coltre di nebbia sul bosco calava,
e attutiva quel dire di un ramoscello
all\u2019albero nocchiuto.<\/p>\n

\u201cPadre, chi sono quegli uomini
che avanzano con l\u2019ascia in mano?\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cFiglio mio, sono i boscaioli,
sono venuti qui
per abbatterci al suolo.\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cPadre, allora moriremo?\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cNo, figliolo, un\u2019anima l\u2019abbiamo anche noi,
perci\u00f2 vivremo sempre.
Non aver paura! <\/strong>Vedrai, che staremo insieme con un po’ di fortuna.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

I boscaioli segarono l\u2019albero,
e il ramoscello fin\u00ec in falegnameria.
Fu piallato e raffinato
fino a divenire un cucchiaio.<\/p>\n

Nel suo nuovo destino
fu riposto in cucina,
nel cassetto di un tavolo
novello anch\u2019esso.<\/p>\n

\u201cFigliolo, figliolo, ti ho ritrovato! Ci sei!\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cPadre, sei tu?
Sto qui, chiuso nel cassetto,
sono diventato un cucchiaio.\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cSapessi quanto ho atteso questo momento!
Io sono diventato un tavolo.\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cAllora staremo di nuovo insieme?\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cS\u00ec, figliolo, ogni giorno potr\u00f2 rivederti.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ma il giorno seguente
\nla padroncina di casa fece una delle sue marachelle,
\ne la madre, in preda alla rabbia,
la colp\u00ec col cucchiaio di legno.<\/p>\n

Tac, tac\u2026<\/strong>
Inutili furono le mie proteste,
sentivo dolore\u2026
E pi\u00f9 d\u2019un colpo batteva, sentii un dolore:
Tac, tac\u2026 trac!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Non potei pi\u00f9 vedere mio padre.
Spezzato in due,
lei mi butt\u00f2 nella spazzatura.<\/p>\n

Zaira Sellerio<\/p>\n

The wooden spoon<\/span><\/h1>\n

The blanket of fog over the forest descended,
\nand muffled that saying of a twig
\nto the bare tree.<\/p>\n

\u2018Father, who are those men<\/strong>
\nwho advance with axe in hand?\u2019<\/strong>
\n\u2018My son, it is the woodcutters,<\/strong>
\nthey have come here<\/strong>
\nto cut us down to the ground.\u2019<\/strong>
\n\u2018Father, shall we die then?\u2019<\/strong>
\n\u2018No, my son, we also have a soul,<\/strong>
\ntherefore we shall always live.<\/strong>
\nDo not be afraid! You will see, that we will be together with a little luck.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The woodcutters sawed down the tree,
\nand the twig ended up in the carpenter’s workshop.
\nIt was planed and refined
\nuntil it became a spoon.<\/p>\n

In its new fate
\nit was placed in the kitchen,
\nin the drawer of a table
\nalso new.<\/p>\n

\u2018Son, son, I have found you! You are there!\u2019<\/strong>
\n\u2018Father, is that you?<\/strong>
\nI am here, locked in the drawer,<\/strong>
\nI have become a spoon.\u2019<\/strong>
\n\u2018If you knew how long I have waited for this moment!<\/strong>
\nI have become a table.\u2019<\/strong>
\n\u2018Then shall we be together again?\u2019<\/strong>
\n\u2018Yes, son, every day I will be able to see you again.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

But the next day
\nthe landlady pulled one of her shenanigans,
\nand the mother, in a rage,
\nstruck her with a wooden spoon.<\/p>\n

Tac, tac…<\/strong>
\nMy protests were useless,
\nI felt pain…
\nAnd more than one blow beat, I felt pain:
\nTac, tac… trac!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I could no longer see my father.
\nBroken in two,
\nshe threw me in the rubbish.<\/p>\n

Zaira Sellerio<\/p>\n

\"Wood<\/a>
Wood spoon Image by Gustavo Torres from Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Review<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u2018The Wooden Spoon<\/strong>\u2019 is an intense and symbolic poem that transforms a simple everyday object into a poignant narrative about transformation, destiny and the unbreakable bond between father and son.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using evocative language and an almost fairy-tale structure, the author gives voice to the felled trees, making them witnesses and protagonists of a life cycle that leads them from living beings in the forest to domestic objects. The initial dialogue between the tree and the twig is a touching reflection of fragility in the face of change, but also of the hope of remaining united despite everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

The final twist, in which the spoon is broken and thrown away, abruptly breaks the illusion of a new equilibrium, adding a note of melancholy and cruel irony to the tale. Father and son had found each other again, but fate separates them once more, permanently.<\/span><\/p>\n

The poem stands out for its expressive simplicity and its ability to convey deep emotions through powerful imagery and a gentle rhythm. The contrast between the sweetness of the meeting and the brutality of the final separation amplifies the emotional impact on the reader.<\/span><\/p>\n

A work that invites reflection on the fragility of life, the transformation of things and the beauty of bonds that resist time<\/span><\/p>\n

La vittoria dell’aglio e della cipolla – The garlic and onion victory<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Some recognitions for her works<\/span><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • National Poetry Award\u00a0\u201cArturo Massimi\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in October 1999 in Mentana \u2013 Rome.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Plaque for the Narrative Award at the International Competition\u00a0\u201cPelosa\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in Messina, November 2000.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Poetry Plaque in October 2000 awarded by the Province of Rome.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • International Competition\u00a0\u201cAntonio de Curtis\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in Rome.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Poets and Society Award, Swiss German Delegation (international competition, honorable mention).<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Unpublished Poetry Award, 5th Edition of the\u00a0\u201cPremio\/l\u2019attualit\u00e0 \u2013 Bartolucci\u201d<\/em>, finalist diploma, October 27, 2001.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • International Artistic-Literary Competition,\u00a0Antonio de Curtis \u201cTot\u00f2\u201d<\/em>, Rome, October 22, 2002.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • ALIAS (Academy of Italian-Australian Literature and Writers, in collaboration with C.R.A.S.E.S. in Palermo).<\/span><\/li>\n
  • International Literary Competition, 3rd Prize ex aequo for Poetry, October 10, 2003.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • First Poetry Prize at the Gallery\u00a0\u201cIl Salotto dell\u2019Arte\u201d<\/em>, Rome, March 22, 2009.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • \u201cPremio Una Vita per la Cultura\u201d<\/em>,\u00a0Galleria Salotto dell\u2019Arte<\/em>, Rome.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • 2014 \u2013 IV International Literary Award Europe for the novel (Dal Profondo del Cuore<\/em>) \u2013 May 11, 2014, Lugano.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • II Navarro Prize for the novel (Dal Profondo del Cuore<\/em>), May 13, 2018, in Sambuca di Sicilia, Sicily.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Special Award\u00a0\u201cLilly Broggi \u2013 La Pergola Arte\u201d<\/em>\u00a0for the novel (Dal Profondo del Cuore<\/em>), Florence, October 27, 2018.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • V Prize for the novel (Dal Profondo del Cuore<\/em>) at Versilia Club\u2019s\u00a0\u201cMassa Citt\u00e0 Fiabesca di Mare e di Marmo\u201d<\/em>, September 28, 2019.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • 1st International Prize dedicated to the feminine universe\u00a0\u201cDonne d\u2019Amore\u201d V. Barrett<\/em>, Poetry Section (Sui Gradini di Piazza di Spagna<\/em>).<\/span><\/li>\n
  • 1st Prize for the Literature \u2013 Novel category for the work (Il Coraggio \u00e8 Femmina<\/em>), Rome, May 22, 2023.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Poetry Award\u00a0\u201cAi Tuoi Piedi\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in the city of Mercogliano (AV) for the poem (E l\u00e0 incontrai mia Madre<\/em>), September 8, 2024.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \"K16<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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