CHILDHOOD BETRAYED.
A cry of profound pain
rises in these hours
throughout the universe.
A cry for help, stifled by the indifference and indolence
of those in power,
They are those who, out of vain honor, have donned only the
garb of warmongers.
They, stunned and helpless, appear before the tearful
and desperate gaze of an Afghan girl.
She cries. She knows she has been abandoned by everyone, to the cruel history of her tormented people.
She knows that a cruel fate
will soon deliver the other women
into the hands of the ruthless Taliban.
They are cruel men,
ruthless fighters
who know no God.
Her sad eyes reveal
that, soon, women will be wounded
in their dignity as human beings.
Yes, soon,
their free will,
as females, will be overwhelmed.
And she, as a child,
has already been deprived
of her innocent
childhood, which
no one will ever give back to her!
© Concetta La Placa
POIGNANT LONELINESS’.
The silence is like a shock wave for the soul.
It invests me and pulls me into a rare sonorous depth of melancholy.
And, thus, imaginary echoes of sounds in the distance come to me.
Then, memories and black and white images begin to crowd my mind in solitary dance.
I turn around and with me there is only the shadow of my yearning loneliness.
©Concetta La Placa
Concetta La Placa is an Italian poet, writer, aphorist, critic, translator, and social activist based in Rome. She is the author of Alessandria Today, an online magazine, and an active presence in the international poetic scene. La Placa has published seven poetry collections and contributes to international magazines worldwide.
She serves as an Ambassador of Peace and Culture for the International Forum for Creativity and Humanity (IFCH) and has been appointed as an ambassador for the ASIH SASAMI Indonesia Foundation for the period 2025–2030, recognized by Dr. (HC) Rini Asih Sasami, President of the foundation. Additionally, she is an official member of the “Cattedra delle Donne” organization, the Peace Charter Project led by Dr. (Hc) María Elena Ramírez, and the Millennium Renaissance Group, founded and presided over by Prof. George Onsy (RRM3).
La Placa has held professional roles as a teacher at L.U.M.S.A. University in Rome and as a contributor to the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies.
The Editor disclaims responsibility for the opinions expressed in published works and for any unacknowledged use of copyrighted material. Responsibility for the content of each article rests entirely with the author(s).
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