In Scotland tonight folks will be celebrating Burns Night, a night dedicated to the Scottish poet Robert Burns who was born this day in 1759. The Scots celebrate it with the reading of his poetry (especially his poem “Address to a Haggis”’) and the consumption of Scottish food and drink. The main focus, however, is sharing poetry with the folks you gather together.
I love the concept of Burns night. I think every country should have a holiday devoted to its literary and cultural heroes. I couldn’t think of any car poems off the top of my head, but a quick search found several from literary heavyweights like T.S. Elliot and the beat poet Gregory Corso who wrote a poem called ‘Last Night I Drove A Car.’
I also thought of the time Brad Brownell and I listened to every Mountain Goats song for fun. That’s just poetry set to music!
I especially like this line from the song Insurance Fraud #2:
Burned-out shell of a Volkswagen,
Bloodstains on the driveway,
Torn up Mercedes, by the side of the highway
Big plans, big plans
Let me tell you, something sister,
You will never get away with it.
So I think we can definitely allow song lyrics into the mix. But it doesn’t have to be from a professional wordsmith. Maybe you’ve personally felt moved to pen a few lines about your ride. Got a haiku about your WRX rolling around in your soul? A dirty limerick about your rust bucket of a Corolla? Share it in the comments!