Ada Rizzo - Poems and Biography
Moderator 
YOU LEFT ME A GIFT
I was a child when pain took me by the hand.
I didn’t want us to become friends, but it was much stronger than me.
Like impalpable ash, it clung to my skin,
its cold whisper wrapped around my thoughts.
At first, it was a cold wind that didn’t know where to go,
bringing with it unwanted gifts:
long days, sharp as blades,
hours beating on an unheard drum.
For a long time, my heart was an echo in the silence of empty rooms,
but here, unexpectedly, a moment arrives,
I see with new eyes, I observe the world’s indifference, the solitude,
material poverty and intellectual destitution,
the anguish that gives no respite when the dark lady knocks at the door,
the promise of God who swears to be there but isn’t there to gather the pain
and shattered dreams of a child, the raw flesh of war that can have no future.
I looked at pain and felt pity for it,
I took it by the hand, caressed it,
dressed it with bandages of emotions and words,
I peered into its eyes,
a black abyss of fear,
of fallen dreams, sobs, silent screams.
I embraced it, and it transformed into strength, tenderness.
It became a laugh, a light,
it became a woven with a warp and weft,
intertwined with threads of courage and hope.
So, I carry it with me,
an uncomfortable companion, but also a teacher.
A friend who wispers to me:
“Look at life, it’s a sublime mosaic,
it’s in the chaos of fragments, in the cracks that light passes through.”
My pain was a pale falling star; now it is light.
I listen to my soul, I proceed on my journey,
I know the beauty that lies in what I embrace.
I met pain,
welcomed it, and it left me a gift...
19/11/2024 Ada Rizzo - All rights reserved to the author.
IN THE SILENCE OF THE WORLD
I open my eyes
peace is still locked away in the drawer of dreams
It dwells in the inner universe of each one,
a heavy cocoon, it cannot become a butterfly,
it struggles to fly beyond words and futile wars
It wishes to rest between the eyelashes of a child to lull him into serene sleep
It longs to transform every mortar blast
into a symphony of life
that resonates in the silence of our souls
Long is the journey of peace,
fraught with pitfalls,
walls to break down,
bridges of courage to build,
to traverse together, step by step.
Let each of us become the creator of a work of art,
a delicate fabric in which the warp and weft are intertwined threads of hope and dreams.
In this dark, impoverished world,
may peace be light for our hopes,
an invitation to see diversity
not as a threat but as an opportunity.
In the silence of the world, the call for peace resonates every day: let us listen to it!
2024 Ada Rizzo - All rights reserved -
BIO
Ada Rizzo was born in Sicily (Italy) in 1960. She is writer, poet, translator,counselor, amateur journalist.
Her life is built on solid roots and traditional values. Optimistic, cheerful, curious, and creative, she is interested in art and psychology. After a thirty-year career at IBM Italy, she decided to reinvent herself. For several years now, she has been a Life Counselor with a humanistic-relational approach and a Facilitator in Mindfulness. She has been involved for about 20 years and currently engages in humanitarian projects and volunteering in Kenya.
In 2021, she published her first novel with a strong autobiographical tone titled “Volevo il tacco dodici?”, which received an honorary mention at the intercontinental literary award “Le Nove Muse”.
In 2022, she published her second novel “Iris Ali di Vetro,” which addresses the delicate topic of eating disorders (ED).
In 2023, she published her third novel “Novanta battiti al minuto”, a true story that tackles the sensitive issue of heart transplantation, for which she received the Jury Prize at the International Literary Art Award Cygnus Aureus 2024.
In 2024, she published "Ventiquattro Carati," which addresses the issue of gender violence; a work that was awarded the International Literary Art Prize La Via dei Libri, the International Lord Byron Prize 2024, the International Literary Art Prize - to say no to violence against women - Il Canto di Dafne 2024, and the National Argentario Prize 2024 & Caravaggio.
Other Awards: “International Award for Peace and Human Rights Defense Italy 2023” , the “Civic Merit Award for Solidarity and Inclusion of People with Disabilities 2023”, "Solidarity Award for Art and Civic Engagement 2024", “Reconocimiento Internacional Mujer Destacada 2024” for her dedication to art, culture, peace, and social justice in the world. -“Certificate of International Recognition LETTER OF PEACE” award given to her for literary contribution to the International promotion of Culture, human rights and Peace. - "International Literature Language Journal", "Art and Literature Certificate 2024", awards granted in America for her cultural contribution to Art and Literature on an international level.
- Award “Best Influential Personality of 2024"
- “Humanist Certificate”
- “International Forum for Creativity“.
- Diploma of Honor from the International Forum for Creativity and Humanity
- International Award "Culture Without Borders 2025"
-Ambassador of IFCH
-The Raft of Dreams Literary Magazine
In 2024 she participated to the anthology “Art without Borders”. Her piece "Nel silenzio del mondo" is part of this anthology.
Currently, she holds the position of "Chief Communications Officer, Italy" for the Global Literary Event: Panorama International Literature Festival 2025.
She wrote the foreword for poetry book by poetess Shoshana Vegh titled “Soul of a Dreamer” and for poetry book titled “Il Cerchio Perfetto by poetess Elisa Mascia.
Her poems on gender-based violence and the others on Peace and human rights have been translated into several languages and included in various literary journals and international poetry anthologies both print and digital.
The author has contributed as a translator and poetry analyst, bringing works by various poets into Italian. Her translations help to intensify international literary dialogue.
It is her strong desire to intensify the promotion of cultural activities for poetic and literary talents. Likewise, she will consistently work to defend human rights, peace, and women who are victims of violence.
Life has taken her everywhere, Love has brought her home.
