[Poetry Friday] The Poetry in “Louis Undercover” by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault

Fats here.

I finished reading Louis Undercover last night and it was one of the most beautiful books I read this year. Louis Undercover is a mash-up of art and poetry by the same duo who created Jane, the Fox, and Me—also brilliant! I’m sharing two of my favorite excerpts from the book. Hope you find a copy and indulge in a graphic novel that focuses on parental separation, alcoholism, depression, and even puppy love. For more details about the book, check out Myra’s review of Louis Undercover entitled, Portrayal of Courage and Identity through Magic Realism and Powerful Art in 2017 Illustrated Stories for Young Readers. Photos taken by Myra.

Poetry Friday is hosted by Carol at Carol’s Corner!

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My Dad cries.

I don’t mean right now as we speak,
even though that’s probably the case.

I don’t mean that
my Dad (noun)
cries (verb)
watching the
sun set
(adverb phrase),
either.

What I mean is,
my Dad cries.

A dog barks.
A cat meows.

My Dad cries.

Truffle thinks it’s because he loves us too much.
There’s some truth to that.

But between you, me
and the bus driver,
you don’t need to be a rocket scientist
to know that if my Dad cries,

it’s first and foremost because of the wine.

---

That’s her, Billie.
She’s a spectacled siren, a rainstorm,
A chocolate fountain, a silent queen.

Billie doesn’t say much. I think it’s
because she feels so let down by others that
she loses the ability to speak.

But when she does speak, the world ignites
and explodes in clusters of honey and fire.
Billie doesn’t make threats—
she makes promises.

I fell for Billie the first second of
the first minute of the first day I laid
eyes on her. Nothing like that has ever
happened to me before.

I had no idea that love is like a rock shattering your
heart, as painful as it is life-giving, and that even as it
makes you want to bolt, it keeps you glued to the spot.

What I did know was that, for the most part,
love ends badly.