Poetry Challenge #68-For Old Time’s Sake
Happy first 7-Minute Poetry Challenge of the New Year!
Did you sing Auld Lang Syne on New Years? Or maybe watched/heard it sung in scores of movies including, It’s A Wonderful Life, Charlie Chaplin’s The Goldrush, Harry Met Sally, Meet Me in St. Louis, Out of Africa, or, naturally, the movie New Year’s Eve?
If “yes,” then the first stanza and chorus of that iconic song is familiar—although you probably don’t actually “know” the words. According to a CNN report I googled (to be sure I had the words correct) “just 3% in the United Kingdom know the words (42% of millennials have no clue).” For the record:
Auld Lang Syne* penned by Robert Burns in 1788
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne.
CHORUS
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
*Note not “old land sign.””
Those words “Auld Lang Syne” literally meaning “old long since,” are commonly translated as “days gone by” or “old time’s sake.” The song is basicallty a call to share “a cup o’ kindness.” The “kindness” in Burns cup is believed to be firewater, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Poetry Challenge #68
For Old Time’s Sake
Let’s begin this spanking new year by sharing a cup of kindness in the form of a poem. Think back over the past year and recall a kindness someone gave to you. What was that kindness? How did it make you feel to receive it? With that in mind, fill a cup with a kindness of your own. To whom will you pass it?
Title your poem “Cup of Kindness”
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think too much, just do it!
More movies featuring Auld Lang Syne
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 990 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.