Ad•voc•atio (a poem)

by Désirée Russo

I am calling for you:

Rise up against

the untouchable feeling

of being understood, and

Speak up for your rights

- soon and

For our being-Self, true.

Dwell on your, my, our particular life:

Temple of traditions

- others once killed with their tongue-knife.

Together, we stand;

Divided, we fall.

Makarrata!

And here is another word for the global call:

This day is the Day,

When not the nations but our cultures crawl.

We have the right of

being understood, and

filled with rapture and love.

Bio: Désirée Russo is a poet, professional translator, and PhD student at the Università degli Studi di Bari 'Aldo Moro' (Italy). Currently she volunteers as translator for Translators without Borders (TwB) and advocates for language rights through the Global Coalition for Language Rights (GCLR), as well as addressing her PhD project to voluntary translation – humanitarian translation – as a tool to support the achievement of the SDGs set in the 2030 Agenda worldwide (especially, in conflict and crisis times and zones).