Lé Mèr

Each day he waits, dutifully,

for the tide to reach its mark.

Sure footed on hard round cobbles,

un c’mîn cut through black L’Etacq rock.

Les cliouques cliapotent at boots, sunk,

ears tuned to the clyique of the vrai.

Sickle and frouque poised at the tarred

waterline, awaiting the cliaque of the gun.

The harvest takes place in earnest,

at the lifting of the Moon’s sluice.

Hèrnais heaped with salt-sodden haul,

back braced with strap and harness.

Hooves heavy, heaving for the

headland, traced with vieillottes à lis.

Fruits of hard labour stacked, ready,

precious fertiliser from the sea.

Photo sourced with thanks from www.theislandwiki.org

lé mèr - the mark; un c’min - a path; les cliouques - pieces of vraic; cliapotent - lap; clyique - click; vrai - seaweed; frouque - fork; cliaque - crack; hèrnais - cart; vieillotes à lis - heaps of vraic in a line