L’Antracite

By Francesco Seganfreddo

Se chiudo gli occhi ogni passo

è una caduta.

Se guardo ogni cosa

solo parole.

Per un fiore in araldo, sul viso dell’altro,

troppo spesso ho trovato

un groviglio poco allegro di corteccia.

Se mi guardo negli occhi

l’antracite.

Anthracite

By Francesco Seganfreddo and translated by Francesco Seganfreddo, Filippo Vasone, and Jack Verschoyle

If I close my eyes every step

is a fall.

If I look at everything

only words.

For a flower being a herald, on another's face,

too often I have found

A smiling tangle of bark.

If I look into my eyes

the anthracite.

Anthracite is a kind of coal, known to have the highest energy density of all coals and for its distinctive dark color.

Francesco studies Philosophy in Bologna. He is from Italy and speaks Italian, English, and some German. He is also a member of “Le Squo”. Find them on Spotify and Instagram (@le.squo).

(We (Klang) apologise for the omission of a line in last issue’s printed version of L’Antracite. We have repinted it here in full.)