Georg Trakl, as if in the famous Salzburg
of the Austrian Tyrol, where he saw the light
for the first time,
he never found joy anywhere, never
he spent his childhood in boredom
as he anticipated the time of knowledge
which arrived, it’d be better if it didn’t,
when he lost his mind
yes: he never agreed with them, the proud man
never accepted
the fate and habits people have
as soon as he realized, painfully enough, what means
to be alive
he had no other longing but to escape, to go away
that longing, his grief you could say, never left him
nothing could console him
nothing entertained him, nothing made him
forget for a while
not Vienna
with its wide avenues
the beautiful cafes
the gardens the lakes with ducks
not even the legendary
innumerable beauties
the hidden
and truly unforgettable treasures…
Manolis Aligizakis 