The Power of the Word

Our friends Maire and Donovan invited us to a local celebration of "Burns Night." Every year on January 25th, Scots folks and the folks who love them get together and feast and celebrate Scotland's bard, Robert Burns. Robert Burns, "Rabbie," is Scotland's most beloved poet and I'm told the Scots folk indeed Love their poets.

The Haggis is the most important part of any celebration of "Burns Night," and last night was no exception. The Haggis, as in the photos below, was piped in at the celebration we were at by Jeff, the piper, and carried by our host, Mikey. Robert Burns poem, "Address to the Haggis," was read over the wonderful "beastie," and the fanfare was a wonderful part of the whole celebration.

Yesterday, all over the world, there was much eating of Haggis and much reading of "Address to the Haggis," (which Shusli summarized as stating that if you don't eat Haggis, your manly parts will shrivel up and fall off, or something like that anyway), as well as much drinking of Scotch.

Despite its bad reputation, Haggis is not as scary as folks make it out to be. In fact, it is quite good. "Poor peoples food," as our friend Maire might say.

In thinking of this day for the last couple of weeks, I have become enamoured with the idea of the power of the word.





Saul Williams says it in a story. He was sitting in Belize with some friends and they ran out of rolling papers. A Rasta fella they were smoking with whips out his bible and reads the first page of Genesis. He then rips out the page and rolls a big fattie. At this time Saul says he realized the power of the word. "First God said it, then it was."

Words can inspire us into Love and into killing. Words can make things seem really sweet, like "Patriot Act," but only disguise insidious terror beneath their echoes.

As a poet, I heard Rabbie had inspired many a woman into getting naked with him. As a poet myself, that never happened for me. I think my poetry more scares the shit out of folks than it does inspire them to lust for a fatty long hair like me, but that's OK. You see, it was a poem that first inspired my Lovely wife, Shusli, to call my show many years ago. It was my poetry that inspired her to meet me. And now we are married and I Love her oh so much and she Loves me as well.

I pray that the words I have tossed about in my lifetime have inspired folks to empower themselves to take everything back. May it be so...

TO THE WORD! MANY INSPIRATIONS TO FOLKS TO EMPOWER THEMSELVES TO CREATE A WORLD GOOD FOR EVERYONE AND ALL LIFE YET TO COME!

Bless Yeez All.