Shakira released a new single, “Acróstico” (acrostic), on Thursday (May 11), and it’s a powerful open letter to her children, Milan and Sasha. The song is a poetic composition constructed so that the initial letter of each line of lyrics, taken consecutively, form words.

Released just in time for Mother’s Day, Shakira uses her iconic sultry voice to showcase her raw, vulnerable emotion in this stripped-down piano ballad, where she expresses a mother’s deep and pure love for her children.

Penned by Shakira and co-written by Keityn, Lexuz, along with the contributions of the team at La Creme, “Acróstico” talks about how a mother can turn her pain into strength through the love of her kids, and how a caress from a son can uplift the soul.

Here is how each line’s initial letter combines to spell the first names of Shakira’s children, which is also spelled out in the lyric video, which features a mama bird and her two babies:

Me enseñaste que el amor no es una estafa, y que cuando es real no se acaba

Intenté que no me veas llorar, que no vieras mi fragilidad, pero

Las cosas no son siempre como las soñamos

A veces corremos, pero no llegamos

Nunca dudes que aquí voy a estar

You taught me that love is not a scam and that when it’s real it doesn’t end/ I tried not to see me cry, not to see my fragility, but/Things are not always as we dream/Sometimes we run, but we don’t arrive/Never doubt that I will be here

Se nos rompió solo un plato no toda la vajilla, y aunque no sé poner la otra mejilla

Aprender a perdonar es de sabios, que solo te salga amor de esos labios

Si las cosas se dañan no se botan, se reparan, los problemas se afrontan y se encaran

Hay que reírse de la vida

A pesar de que duelan las heridas

Only one plate broke, not all the crockery, and although I don’t know how to turn the other cheek/ Learning to forgive is wise, that only love comes out of those lips/ If things are damaged, they are not thrown away, they get repaired, problems are faced and dealt with/ You have to laugh at life
/Even though the wounds hurt

Shakira’s new release comes just days after she was honored at the inaugural Billboard Latin Women in Music gala as Woman of the Year. In her first public appearance since her recent move to Miami, she got a standing ovation as she gave an emotional speech in which she acknowledged the hard times she’s been through and thanked her mother, her friends and women in general.