LA NEIGE, TOUCH PAS ÇA
A blanket of snow is la couche de neige
and not what the French-English translator insists it to be—
une couverture. Ben cré moi, c’est le mot juste.
I text my family: Chers frères et sœurs,
I am exchanging letter poems with a writer from Maine
who, comme nous, has French-Canadian roots.
We are trying to write in the French of our childhoods,
like how mom would say va ca-couche de do
and we knew to get up to bed.
Anyone help me out here?
Susie
Les résponses:
Aweille for hurry up.
No, that was pêche-toi.
Cris non, that’s a fish, pêche.
The nuns would say dépêche-toi là.
Also, Le Bon Dieu n’est dort pas.
What the heck is “dort?”
Dunno, but watch out.
Moo ta zee cadish was mom expressing exasperation
over something stupid generally done by Chuck or me.
That’s a swear word! So? She said it.
I think couche is night and dormir is sleep
as in Frere Jacque, dormir vous, dormir vous.
My friend Denny's mom (also from Canada)
says ca couche do do. Susie,
I can assure you Joey and I can answer any
Québecoise swear questions you have
from playing so much hockey with French Canadians.
La langue français que je me souviens
c’est aussi ancien qu’un rêvé,
under a blanket of snow.