When I came to stay at the Civitella Ranieri, I had a new book of poetry — my twenty-first — half done. I was hoping to finish it during my stay, and I did, writing fifty-six “versions” of poems from Charles Baudelaire’s 1861 collection “Les Fleurs du mal”. My procedure was to take a rough English translation of many of the poems in Baudelaire’s book and update it, transposing Baudelaire’s concerns to the contemporary world. During my stay I found the other creative artists a very varied, companionable and friendly lot, and I looked forward to the busy chatter at lunch and dinner every day. I also appreciated the peaceful rural silence of the Umbrian countryside setting and the seemingly endless days of sunshine. The friendly staff was another pleasant surprise. Sometimes I think it was all a lovely dream.