Another coolish, sunny afternoon in Northern California. Yesterday biking, today gym, everyday, in the morning, writing, translating. I’ve been slogging away at some prose texts (poems) by a contemporary Italian poet Valerio Magrelli. I discovered Magrelli by reading a selection of his poems by a British poet Jamie McKendrick (Faber), really fine translations that made me want to read more of Magrelli (and McKendrick). I began with a recent collection of poems called Exfanzia, then switched to the prose called In the Flesh Condominium, as backup. I’m gradually getting it, but it’s not easy. I’ve fallen back on Baudelaire as relief, a poem called ‘The Giantess’ (La Géante’) ‘recited’ by Matisse in a book I was reading, a favourite of Matisse, apparently. It’s lovely, I hope I can get it word and tone-perfect.

I’m also trying to do that with a couple of my own poem drafts, over and over, in each case a stanza that won’t come right (of course I come back to them after not having worked on them for a while, and nothing will seem right).

So I’m going to the gym and maybe a yoga class to think of something else. A book back to the library, perhaps another one I want to borrow, though I have it online for 3 weeks (after being on the waiting list for it for months) from the northern California public library. I think it’s a book I want my own copy of.

Oh, and an update on the hungry bluejay. We keep putting out bread and he comes back and stands on the balcony railing and squawks, and I hop up from whatever I’m doing and talk to him and if all the bread cubes are gone, I tell him/her to wait while I get some more. He is becoming less wary. Then he squawks (thank you?) and flies off.

Beverley Bie Brahic