(Trakl Track) Poem by Michal Habaj

a faint shadow of a sister...

...that which emanates from fragile translucent bodies of plants
and autumn melancholies, faces of girls
frightened by coming of age.

Lips split open by a word.
To greet.
Farewell
with being untouchable.

Beyond the walls of flesh and grilles of bones
A cornered soul.
Wading through the dark, the shadows illuminate your way.
As you grasp a precious brooch,
the shadows don`t let you breathe.

We sit facing each other: the TV and I.
Our desolate faces fall into the night,
broken and ever more resembling a shade.

A shade as faint as your lips, my sister.

Halted by a melancholy, right before a black lake
I stand and watch a shadow grow through time.
The immobility blew all tracks away,
now nothing but wings can help.

But alas, the shadow`s all too heavy, dear sister.

English Translation from Martin Solotruk