From the Druskininkai Poetry Festival: Daiva Čepauskaitė

(This translation of Daiva Čepauskaitė was done at breakneck speed in a bar at the Druskininkai Festival by the poet, myself and her translator Ada Valaitis. It had to be – I was there for little more than a day, and the festival was packed with wonderful poets, many (to me) unknown quantities.

Daiva was one such – a great reader of sparse mesmeric texts. This was the only one she read which wasn’t translated, so I persuaded her and her translator to attempt at least a literal over a beer and a glass of wine. The process was recorded until – almost – the final decision, when my sound card had a fit: I’ll see if I can’t post an edit shortly.

This poem hopefully stands as a brief intro to further entries on this fascinating festival – I’ve been aware that I haven’t had much time to post recently, and the next month isn’t looking exactly relaxed.)

I fitted in shoes
even in slippers
even in my footprints
I fitted in a doorway
between teeth and under an armpit
I fitted in a hat
with a whole nest of mice
with five naked babies
I fitted in a head
not always in a photo
sometimes they got cropped
I fitted in a pocket
next to last year’s chestnuts
I fitted in a palm
and there was still room
so that I wouldn’t fall out
I braced myself with my feet
sharp as buckwheat
I fitted on the tip
of my mother’s thumb
until she chopped it off
when the cleaver missed the chicken’s neck
I fitted in the gush of her blood
I hurt and I fitted
until it stopped
I fitted, I fitted
until I was quiet