La Tâche

Today he is lé Tâch’ron.

Standing tall,

taking the lead,

setting the pace.

There’s a knack to this tâche.

He’s an expert at working la

frouque à chîn dés,

heavy in small hands,

turning la tèrre.

It’s his brother’s turn to stoop.

Following the fork,

breaking his back,

shaking les vîngnes

with green grubbed hands, to free

les p’tites nutty rîngnons from

rich friable soil,

eune riole dé Rouoyales

lying in his wake.

The old man completes the fork.

Crawling à grappîns,

Climbing lé cotîl,

dragging bent knees

bound in rubber, back buckled by

fused vertebrae.

Yet, determination brims

la pannelée d’patates

filling up at his side.

Y’a hardi d’récolte

pouor faithe la tâche.

Photo sourced with thanks from www.theislandwiki.org

la tâche – the task (often used in relation to potato picking); lé tâch’ron – lead potato picker/digger; la frouque à chîn dés – five pronged fork; la tèrre – the earth; les vîngnes – haulms; p’tites – small; rîngnons – kidneys; eune riole dé Rouoyales – row of lifted Jersey Royals; à grappîns – on all fours; cotîl – steeply sloped south-facing field; pannelée d’patates – basketful of potatoes; Y’a hardi d’récolte pouor faithe la tâche – There’s a good crop for undertaking such work.