Midnight in Vienna,

Among monolithic architecture and walls

that carry centuries of songs and stories,

Midnight in Vienna,

Where World Wars, the death of Beethoven,

and angelic voices from the choir reverberate.

Midnight in Vienna,

Behind the opera house lit like stars,

We could see St Stephen above, as tall as the moon.

Midnight in Vienna,

In January 2010, all our extremities were frozen,

but your laughter was warm and jokes brazenly inappropriate.

Midnight in Vienna,

While sirens passed, not even the astringent smells of petrol

could bury the watery-eyed burn of spicy mustards.

Midnight in Vienna,

We became brothers over bready Bavarian beer and schnapps,

Knockwurst, misfortune, and European woman.

Midnight in Vienna,

We couldn’t speak German with the locals,

But at that time of night, no one cared.

Midnight in Vienna,

We trusted each other enough to go to party alongside a

Mad man resembling one of the three stooges.

Midnight in Vienna,

We were numb in more ways than one never realizing

that our time could end in terminal tragedy.

Midnight in the funeral parlor,

A far cry from Austria my friend,

Hopefully one day, Midnight in Vienna, again.