Colombia has a long tradition of lawyers who, at some point, do poetry, or become known mostly as poets. Raúl Gómez Jattin is one of them, but not like any other. Other lawyers might turn into poets out of a skillful tongue, out of the habit of lying or pretending. If they say pain, pain could be a show off, or something they're trying to affect. But Raúl's story is fatal enough to read his simple red poetry as written with blood.
After eight years of Law School in Bogotá, he went back to his hometown and, due to his mental ilness, finally became a beggar. He was constantly sick, and he spent months on end in mental health institutions before coming out to see himself on the streets once again. He meanwhile wrote poetry. He constantly wrote about sickness, poverty, insanity and love. He moved out to Cartagena, and there he became well known for being the homeless person who spoke like an angel. He would be invited to cultural gather ups and surprise guests with his well mannered Spanish, and thus his books became popular among some circles. But he never stopped living on parks and streets.
He died as a result of being hit by a bus, and it was never established whether it was accident or suicide.
No more can be said about his life that he himself did not say better.
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