Rabbie, Robbie, Robert Burns! He could steal your heart. He stole mine when I was in high school. Give him a chance; he might steal yours!
As we advise our readers, our blog posts focus on four disciplines: poets & poetry, writers & writing, parks & protection, earth & conservation; this one focuses on poets & poetry. As we advised in our New Year’s Eve day post, we’re using Robert Burns (1759-1796) to cross the bridge from 2017 to 2018 . . . and, here we are! Your robust midnight New Year’s Eve singing of Burns’ Auld Lang Syne (and your knowledge of the words & meaning) impressed your friends, the champagne and after-effects are done, some of your decorations are finding their way back to storage, and you’re now in full mode New Year planning!
Conveniently, Robert Burns was born the 25th of January. Were you to so choose, your January plans are almost ready-made; simply decide to throw or join a Rabbie Burns Supper on or near the 25th and your January will be all set! We can make this really simple for you: just visit www.robertburns.org and click on Burns Suppers. It might be easier to join one for a year or two before you throw your own, but that’s your choice. It would be absolutely super if you were to have accomplished a few of the following as preparation: learn a bit about his life, read a few of his poems, (with Auld Lang Syne, you already know one of his best-loved songs), in selecting which supper you might attend, try to assure they’ll have a piper there, get your taste buds prepared for some haggis, have a wee dram of single malt available (our preference is Oban), maybe even write a poem in Scottish brogue yourself and be prepared to read it to the assemblage!
I wanted to put here the twenty-line epigraph to Burns’ poem Tam o’ Shanter I wrote in 2006 when Mary and I visited Burns’ small hometown village of Alloway in Ayrshire, Scotland. Mary felt the post was too long and too personal. So, any of you who might be interested in reading my offering, just write or call and I’ll send it along with my undying thanks for your interest. Instead, we refer you to our e-book available for a mere $9.95 on Amazon, The Sixty-Minute Poet, which gives you good instruction on how to get started writing your poem that you might read at a Burns Supper. We promise: just sixty-minutes of timed, uninterrupted reading/writing will enable you to write poetry for the rest of your life! Guaranteed! (I haven’t figured out how to fulfill the guarantee were you to be unable to write a poem after reading; however, fortunately, I’ve not yet been advised of such circumstance.) Write or call me if you’re having any difficulty with this; I may be able, my trusty frien’, to gie y’ a hand or two for Auld Lang Syne.
Sketch by F.W. Heaton, Brig o' Doon, Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland, 2006