The Words of Love is a permanent initiative of CiaoLapo Onlus, born in 2011. The night in the eyes is the third volume of the competition, (the first is The songs are Angels published by Ipertesto Edizioni in 2012, the second is Eri already with us published by Ipertesto edizioni in 2013.
This book, which has the subtitle Facing perinatal mourning, is composed of 12 works, selected from more than 50 works received, which tell the mourning through poetry or fiction.
Although the authors are different, the book has a narrative plot that binds one work to another by addressing experiences, pain, and its elaboration from various angles.
A publication has emerged that is useful not only for those who are facing bereavement, but also for those who want to know through good words the experience of bereaved parents.
And I remain stone
blind to you
with the night in your eyes
Manuela Priolo
The “Words of Love” speak a difficult language, which the ear can hardly get used to.
When they come out, they make emotions that are often heavy and painful, yet very vivid, vibrate in the air.
So strong, as to seem unspeakable, so frightening as to be unlistenable.
If you are very very lucky, or very distracted, you just need to plug your ears: so the “Words of Love” will never hit you and will bounce away, away from closed hands, low looks and hasty steps that go away.
Sometimes it happens instead that the “Words of Love” begin to sprout from within: usually it happens after being hit in the chest by pain, so strong as to seem in-sayable, so frightening as to seem unlistenable.
And here, day after day, after having taken away all the other words, the “Words of Love” begin to make room, outside the overwhelmed hearts, beyond the folded arms, beyond the mute mouths.
Sometimes at first they form a scream, other times a perennial furrow on the forehead, or they bend their shoulders in a shy posture.
Then, one day, it simply happens: the words of Love, after having frightened, hurt, grieved, indisposed, isolated, speechless, sprout in Love.
And it is then that they free themselves all around us, and transform lives into stories and poems.
