08.58, Monday 11 Jun 2001

Upsideclown for Monday: "But even in this first stanza there is a sense of foreboding. S'agrippent demonstrates the tight hold on love in their close grip on the balloon's string, but also introduces the claustrophobia of a relationship (ne t'agrippe pas tant à moi - don't be so clingy). There is also the ambiguity of tu es sur? - not only 'are you sure?', but 'are you reliable, safe, trustworthy?' - and while the synaesthetic presence of the partner reassures the lover, the reader remains unconvinced."

Jamie's gone all literary in today's Upsideclown: "If it's in French, it must be deep". Oh, and a small amount of it is in fact in French. And I was assured pretty bloody good French too, when it was translated for me (you don't need to know what it says, but it does add considerably).

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