Some Haggis with a side of Poetry
On January 25th there is a celebration, Burns Supper, to honor the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Essentially the evening involves drinking Scotch Whisky, reciting of Burn’s poems, and addressing (then eating) Haggis with a large knife. All in all, it sounds like a night of blurry memories and well metered fun.
What if each poet gone had a supper in their celebration? Would Plath’s be Domestic Rebel’s Supper? Or Blake’s The Roast of the Tyger? For this lovely weathered Wednesday, write an evening dedicated to your favorite poet (or writer for all you anti-poetry folks.) Think of this writer’s persona, writing style, and topics they took to task. Make an evening in their honor, which can include Scotch Whisky or not. I would hope it would include some libation, as poets tend to favor that sort of thing. Only speaking from experience. Let the life of the writer passed guide your writing – which means do not dictate what form the exercise will be in. The evening’s festivities could call to express themselves as a final scene in a screenplay, or a narrative poem, or a short story.
I think life would be much more colorful if we celebrated poets lost with a festive supper on a regular basis. Leave it to those cool cats across the pond to have such a unique tradition. What are some American poets we can begin a Burns Supper for?
– Amanda
