CINZIA PANUCCIO

 

 

 

If You Want Peace...

 

If you want peace,

do not kill with words.

If you want peace,

do not take up weapons.

Burn them

until they turn to ashes

under a crust of toasted bread

and warm milk to feed the enemy.

If you want peace,

do not bury brothers,

but use your hands to give them life,

as a painter

does with watercolors before a canvas.

If you want peace, do not fight.

Disarm hatred

with purity of heart.

Do not support those who want war and spread terror.

But let pain and resentment be swept away by love.

If you want peace,

don't look at the color of your skin,

let this be a beam of stars

so powerful it lights up the world,

may the stranger have your face,

your eyes and your breath

like sea crystals or your garden,

may your tongue be a bridge of peace

not a cross on which one cries and is silent.

If you want peace, listen to it,

whisper it to the wind,

even if at times it seems to have a slow pace.

                                                                                                         

I Will Speak To You Of Love...

 

I will speak to you of love, softly whispering

of false promises, of shooting stars,

of dazzling smiles and absurd silences.

I will speak to you of hidden and profound glances

or brazen crystals shining between drooping eyelids,

of naked bodies and overflowing passions,

of a life of regrets, defeats, and multiple mistakes,

of your thoughts and your imperfections.

Of something that can't be explained

and irremediably escapes reason,

of trembling hands clasped together with your mind elsewhere.

I will speak to you of love in days faded by time,

of the roaring song of the sea,

of small steps capable of making you tremble,

of sunsets and nights that make you blush,

of that fire that burns the soul and lets you slowly die.

I will speak to you of the love that doesn't ask, that doesn't ask questions,

that plays hide-and-seek

between the visible and the invisible like a lover does,

between the certain and the uncertain but extraordinary like dawn in the desert,

of your bare feet so light,

capable of crossing my thoughts,

of your innocent skin that smells of honey under the covers,

of the tone of your voice, so bitter and so poignant.

I will speak to you of love a thousand times and a hundred more

I will tell our story like an intense thrill,

no, I will not speak to you of love like hell,

but I will shout your name

and that I love you even in the darkness of silence.

 

CINZIA PANUCCIO

 

CINZIA PANUCCIO holds degrees in Law and Social Services and, on 25 March 2026, she also earned a qualification in Criminology. Her legal, social and criminological education is intertwined with a personal and cultural journey founded on the defence of human dignity, legality, solidarity and memory. Firmly opposed to a society shaped by indifference, she has made social commitment and volunteering a concrete mission, devoted to protecting the most vulnerable and promoting a fairer and more responsible community. She is also actively involved in raising awareness of blood donation through AVIS. Her civic commitment has also extended to environmental protection. She led the association “Fare Ambiente Calabria” with determination, supporting initiatives dedicated to the common good, the protection of the natural environment and animal welfare. At national level, she assumed responsibility for the “Laudato Si’” section of the European association “Fare Ambiente”. In 2019, she received a Certificate of Appreciation from the International Columbia Association, Fire Department City of New York, in recognition of her environmental commitment. In 2023, she was also presented with a limited-edition commemorative medal by Cav. Vincent A. Tummino, President of the same association, for her constant contribution to legality and respect for human values. Cinzia Panuccio’s artistic journey arises from the encounter between civic consciousness, poetic sensitivity and close attention to the wounds of contemporary society. Her writing addresses themes such as justice, memory, suffering, redemption, motherhood, peace, the protection of rights and collective responsibility. Within her literary journey, poetry becomes both a space of testimony and a means of inner reconstruction: a voice that denounces injustice, offers consolation and calls humanity back to dignity. This vision has progressively shaped a distinctive and intense literary production, founded on the dialogue between personal experience, social commitment and universal values. She has been interviewed several times by Cav. Josephine Buscaglia Maietta, President of AIAE, on WRHU, the radio station of Hofstra University in New York and recipient of the 2021 World Radio Day Award, as well as by Allora! Australian Newspaper. In 2026, some of her poems were published in the Albanian literary magazine Miriade, directed by journalist Angela Kosta. During the same period, her poetry was also featured in the Turkish magazine Güncel Sanat, whose director is also the publisher of Baygenç Kitap publishing house. Over the years, she has received numerous literary and cultural honours. Her poem “Mediterraneo” was awarded first prize and a gold medal at the 30th edition of the “Angelo ed Angela Valenti” Competition in 2023. The Mario Luzi Foundation selected some of her poems for publication in the 2025 annual volume of the Encyclopaedia of Contemporary Poetry, choosing them from among the works of more than 6,000 participants. She received the 2025 Sicilia “Donna In” Award in the “Legality and Memory” category, as part of the Federico II Prize. Her book La forza non è mia was nominated for the 2025 Premio Strega and won first place in the 2025 competition “L’eco dei comuni e delle comunità”, organised under the patronage of the Senate of the Italian Republic. In 2025, she also won first place at the 16th Navarro International Prize with the fairy tale Erebia Madame Fifì e lo strano viaggio, published on 13 December 2025 by Kimerik publishing house. Since 16 July 2025, she has been included on the online Wikipoesia platform as a poet of international importance. At the 2025 International Kindness Award, her poem “In nome della legge” was selected to open the event and was published and distributed in Italy by the FSP Police Union and internationally by the I.P.A. – International Police Association. During the same year, she was appointed Ambassador of Solferino Culture in the World. In 2026, her literary and cultural journey was further enriched by important international honours. She received the International Academic Diploma in Artistic-Literary Sciences and Global Peace from FIDEPA-UFIVIBA in Venezuela; second place at the third edition of the International Excellence Award “DivinaMente Donna”, promoted by VerbumlandiArt APS and the International Academic Senate; and an Honorary Doctorate in Literature, specialising in Poetry, conferred by the World Federation of Arts, Literature, Education, Peace and Culture – FEMALPC. She was also appointed Baluarte Ilustre de la Unión Literaria 2026 by the international literary collective “La Voz de Tus Escritores” of Tucumán, Argentina. She received the Platinum Certificate of Merit for her poem “Among the Mountains” and was appointed an Honorary Member of the International Confederation of Poets United for the World – CIPUM, Peru. Her additional international distinctions include the Certificate of Participation in the Art and Poetry Contest “A Celebration of Creativity, Heritage and Healing”, promoted by the Government of the State of Birland on the occasion of the eleventh anniversary of the foundation of the State of Birland. She also received the Special “Ultrabardista” Recognition during the Fourth World Poetry Event 2026, awarded by the Fundación Amazonía Productiva de Ecuador – Poetas Intergalácticos, representing Italy in Quito, Ecuador. Cinzia Panuccio is also the recipient of the Golden Lion for Culture and Literature awarded by the MAF – Menotti Art Festival Spoleto, Special Culture Project Venice 2026, in association with the Literary Fair for the Promotion of Arts and Culture. Her literary profile is distinguished by the close connection between social commitment, poetic vocation, national and international recognition, and a continuous cultural activity that regards the written word as an instrument of testimony, memory and civic responsibility.