A Penny for the Old Guy

Guy Fawkes, contemporary engraving (1605)

"Remember, remember the Fifth of November, / Gunpowder, treason and plot." —traditional Guy Fawkes rhyme

I chanted this ditty as a boy,

Pulling Guy on my little wagon,

To meet his bonfire fate.

Grownups smiled at my toy.

They'd taught me the tradition.

—I was, you see, just eight!

November 5, 2024