Give me a brigand’s voice, lord

Give me a brigand’s voice, Lord,

and a lion’s pen

on this earth

that sheds blood and

shows unspeaking children

with terror in their eyes.

Justice is

air

water

bread

grass that plays up to your knees

and a lilting voice…

flowering skylarks in their nests

that war shakes up

and devastates.

Maria Nivea Zagarella (Sicilia)

Translated into English by Gaetano Cipolla

From: Ncuntraiu lu mari, 2019