F.i.in.e Moods

- in French, "de" can mean of or from... my son misunderstood "de luxe" to mean from someone called Luxe...  

Nous étions au magasin Toys R Us -

Mon copain, mon fils aîné (qui était âgé de

quatre ans à l'époque), notre fils cadet

(tout petit à treize mois), et moi - pour aller

chercher la paie qui n'avait pas été déposée.

We were at the Toys R Us store -

My boyfriend, my eldest son (who was 4

at the time), our youngest son

(littlest at thirteen months), and me - to go

get the undeposited pay cheque.

Nous nous retrouvions dans la salle

des employés en petite famille, debout

dans la pièce pendant que mon copain

s'occupait de trouver son gérant.  Entre-

Temps, une employée est entrée,

We were in the employee

room as a little family, standing

in the space while my boyfriend

was busy finding his supervisor.  In

the meantime, an employee came in,

et a remarqué mon fils aîné (sa petite

bette était vraiment trop cute - 

le petit curieux si souriant), alors

commença à l'aborder en riant.  Elle

s'agenouilla devant lui, en tendant sa main :

and noticed my eldest son (his little

face was really too cute -

the curious little one always smiling), so

she started talking to him as she was laughing.  She

knelt in front of him, her hand out :

« Veux-tu un bonbon de luxe ? », sa question.

Mon fils, un peu hésitant, prit le bonbon,

tout en demandant d'un air d'innocence que

les enfants ont : « C'est qui, Luxe ? »

Trop précieux.  J'en souris à ce jour.

"Would you like a deluxe candy?", her question.

My son, a little hesitant, took the candy,

all while asking with that innocent look that

children have :  "Who is, Luxe?"

Too precious.  I smile about it to this day.

It may feel like committing a crime

To write out your lines with rhymes

Especially if you're not good at it

You might annoy the true poets!

For my part, I know it's not my gift

To find them, make'em gel and riff

But still, once in a while, I find it fun

Even though no result will ever stun!

So right now, just a little rhyming ditty

Passing the time, forget trying to be witty

Granted this isn't about much of anything

It's still better than my current imaginings!

- with rough translation... 

Je dois t'avouer que je trouve

extrêmement tannant

de vivre dans une société

qui s'acharne à rester unilingue.  

I must admit to you that I find it
extremely annoying
to be living in a society
which strives to remain unilingual.

L'inculcation de la peur de

l'anglais camouflée en tant que

fierté pour sa langue et sa culture... 

À mon avis, le bon sens y manque.

The inculcation of the fear of
English camouflaged as
pride for our language and our culture...
In my view, it lacks good sense.

Comme nous sommes

(apparemment)

un pays bilingue, c'est une

obstination mal placée.

Considering we are
(apparently)
a bilingual country, it's a
misplaced obstinacy.

Notre français ne disparaîtra pas. 

Mais qui a pensé à un tel mensonge ?

Implanter toutes sortes de lois

ne changera pas la réalité flagrante

Our French will not disappear.
Whoever thought of such a lie?
Implementing all kinds of laws
will not change the blatant reality

que notre peuple restera limité,

intentionnellement, pour des raisons

datant de plus de 400 ans ! 

Il serait le temps d'en revenir...

that our population will remain limited,
intentionally, for reasons
dating back over 400 years!
It would be time to get over it...

- food banks... 

It may be a popular view

That the poor can't "complain"

'Cause, after all, this food is

Given at no financial cost to them.

You know, the adage that

Beggars can't be choosers?

It's agreeable to a certain extent.

However, let's be real about this.

Helping people isn't achieved

When a "it's better than nothing"

Approach is employed to do it.

Here's what I mean by that :

When you commonly find cans

Beyond expired, by two to three years,

It gives a strong impression donors

Use charity to do a spring clean

Of their food cupboards.

When the bank's prepared packet 

Has no conceivable way to let

The recipient make meals

Because all of the items have

No matchable possibilities.

Bread with nothing to put on it.

Pasta with no sauce, or vice versa.

Tired veggies and fruits days away

From expiry, if not already expired.

No basic staples of any kind,

But there are a lot of cakes,

Chips, pop, candies, chocolates...

"Comfort foods" aren't what's

Needed.  Being able to make

A meal is what matters most.

Not insinuating there's no heart

In most intentions of help, but it

Does feel like not a lot of thought

Is really put on the situation

They're hoping to help.

On the receiving end, in an

Already difficult situation, its

Effects can be soaringly sore.

Yet, as I feel exposed before you,

I instantly freeze on the spot

And return to staying alone

In the confines of quietness

With no eyes to see me

While I try to put the stick away.

Are we having fun yet?

Unable to think,

Or write,

Or talk,

To explain any of it.

The energy,

Or want,

Or care,

To do so won't come.

Besides,

(In all truth,)

It's probably

For the best anyway.

How many ways

Can be described

About breaking

And losing hold

On my last

Remaining

Marbles knocking

Into one another?

Or how life is

Imaginatively

Hurtful, and it's

In no hurry to stop?

I mean,

What's the point.

It's not a new story, and 

Dealing with your own is enough.

Quand ce sont des cons qui gèrent le tout

Dans un système tout autant con qu'eux

Faut pas s'attendre à des miracles

J'sais b'en que moi, j'n'y crois plus...

One imagines he said these things
in an attempt to be helpful, but still,
the words came in feeling like a shock.

He had said something along these lines:
"You must first begin by forgiving yourself."
I think I'd have liked to throttle him had I

been that way inclined by nature - I'm not -
so, instead, I calmly breathed in, then exhaled
for a moment before I delivered my thoughts.

I said: "Really? If you forgive yourself before
the one you've trespassed against forgives you,
how is that not: 1) selfish, 2) the grandest of insolences?"

Judging by the surprised look on his face,
I guess he hadn't thought of that perspective.
Recovered-anythings have a tendency to forget;

about the receiving end, more specifically.
I guess they need that part to disappear
in order to be able to move on...

See, I felt this strongly about it
'cause it's been done to me by my maniac family,
and there's no way in hell I'd ever do the same.

It's a level of disrespect I can't fathom
would ever bring me a healing touch, as he
suggests. I find it completely absurd.

Forgive myself as a first step,
even if I've not received forgiveness
from the ones I hurt when the thing happened?

It doesn't sound right.
It doesn't feel right.
I just can't get on board.

- un trop plein, un moment donné...

B'en oui, pourquoi pas ?

Allez-y, j'ai le dos large.

Ajoutez-en.  Let's go.

Une chose de plus,

Qu'est-ce que ça changera ?

Well yeah, why not?

Go ahead, my back's broad.

Pile it on.  Let's go.

One more thing,

What will that change?

Peut-être qu'un autre

Coup de pied dans les dents

Serait aidant, qu'en pensez-vous ?

Moi, j'en pense beaucoup !

C'est quoi un autre p'tit coup ?

Maybe another

Kick in the teeth

Would be helpful, what do you think?

Me, I think on it a lot!

What's another little blow?

J'pense que j'suis sur le point

De finalement croire

Que si une vie antérieure existe

J'ai dû vraiment faire suer

Quelqu'un à quelque part !

Think I'm on the verge

Of finally believing that

If a past life exists

I must have really pissed off

Someone, somewhere!