Burns Bright With Conviction

"I lang hae thought,

my youthfu’ friend,

A Something

to have sent you"

this art or craft

skill or alchemy

for weaving words—

that hold such power

and can penetrate

mind, body,

heart and soul

to the bare bones

and exposed sinew—

is not about winning

prizes and accolades—

though both are welcome—

it's not even about

the pristine and pretty;

it's about

honesty, with heart

or at the very least

with conviction—

it's not about

making sure people

are happy

and content,

it's not about

making things easy

and keeping things

simple—

(not always anyway)

it's carte blanche

to say what you feel

know, believe

in spite of the impact,

often because of the impact—

if stars fall because

you failed to stay quiet,

carry the wreath,

carry the burden,

not with shame—

but honour

"The fear o' hell's a hangman's whip

to haud the wretch in order;

But where ye feel your honour grip,

Let that aye be your border"

*

Thanks for reading!

Author's Notes: Feel like I've done a few of these recently, with nods to Shakespeare often. This time, it's Robert Burns, the most famous Scottish poet, and lines from his poem, Epistle to a Young Friend, from May 1786. You can read the full thing, and I encourage you to do so, here:

Here are some other things to read by me: