"Here, I present three poems by the Spanish poet and literary critic Julia Barella from her book Praderas de Posidonia [Meadows of the Mediterranean Sea] (Huerga & Fierro, 2013). I was drawn to them for the unique ways in which they dialogue with each other. The poems offer multiple, nuanced meditations on the themes of woman, creation, and space, all of which are central to the collection and to Barella’s poetic production in general.In “La arquitecta” —translated here as “Architect”—, woman is synonymous with the act of creation. Her memories and thoughts take up space: they have a physical presence. Even the rhythm of the verses conveys a heaviness. Letting the weight of the past go allows her to continue creating. The reader wonders: What is she constructing? In “El jardín” —“Garden”—, a mythical, primal quality permeates. The question of how one’s being relates to both natural and man-made spaces is key. The seemingly symbolic becomes very tangible with the allusion to how social and gendered barriers serve to limit women. In the final poem, “Turismo y ruinas” —“Tourism and Ruins”—, woman is again a creative force. An affinity exists between the woman and the space she inhabits. She projects her inner light, and the hotel lights shine upon the sea. For its labyrinth-like quality, her hair mirrors the knots of ruins that run along the Mediterranean Sea. Her memories and the ruins are one and the same. The poem comes full circle, having moved from the image of a woman with a vivid imagination to the memory of a lifeless mother." --Sarah Glenski, the translator.
