Dear Friend

 

I am Roger WR Batty.

 

The middle initials stand for William Richard so I am also known as Bill Batty. 

 

I wrote this sonnet back in1984. I was pleased when a national newspaper critic told me she liked the work. It would be even better, she said, if I saved the main impact for the very last line. Of course I did as I was told. You would be doing me a great favour if you could read it. Preferably after eating a hearty meal! Here it is:-

 

Dinner Party

 

The gourmet's choice invites a sharp contrast.

Champagne cocktails wild strawberries and mint,

Pink langoustine laid on beds of blue ice,

Choose Chablis to complement the fish.

Sorbet to clean the palate will precede

Beef garnished with anchovies and olives.

Fresh fruit flown out of season for dessert

Copiously despoiled with cups of claret.

Linger over exotic foreign cheeses,

Liqueurs for ladies, port for gentlemen.

Blended Brazilian with petit fours,

Retire replete to silken sheets, dreaming

Undisturbed by any images

Of emaciated Ethiopians.

© Bill Batty 2011

 

The sonnet was inspired by the Ethiopian famine of 1984 and a memorable meal cooked by my wife Chris. At the time I wanted to hand the sonnet to as many people as possible, preferably just as they were walking out of expensive restaurants. Sadly I never did but back in '84 an awful lot of us did what we could to help the starving.

 

Most of us didn't have the benefit of the worldwide web then so, in the hope it might raise some funds for a legitimate charity, the recent East African famine prompted me to dig out the work and send it to as many people as possible. If you would like to make a donation please send any amount of money, no matter how large or how small. You can put your name beside your donation or you can donate anonymously.

 

Please, do not send any money directly to me.

 

If you have already made a donation please ignore my attempt at moral blackmail.

 

I hope this has not been too much of an imposition but we have so much and.............well you know the rest. Many thanks for (a) taking the time to read this, or (b) for making a donation or (c) forwarding this link to as many people as possible, maybe to everybody in your address book or (d) all three!

If I was at all religious I would be quoting: 'As You Sow So Shall You Reap.' Or maybe this helps? If you send this on to twenty people in the next 10 minutes then......, well no I can't actually promise you will win the lottery but you may feel good about yourself!

 

Yours sincerely              Bill Batty - (Rog)