.

A Pox Upon My House

a pantoum

I heard the hiss of sickness as my mind cracked.
I scoured and bleached and reached new hygiene heights.
I locked down, muzzled up and shunned all contact—
Its moans and groans still stole my sleep-kissed nights.

I scoured and bleached and reached new hygiene heights.
Contagion slunk and skulked and skulked and slunk.
Its moans and groans still stole my sleep-kissed nights—
I pitched as prey to pestilence’s funk.

Contagion slunk and skulked and skulked and slunk.
It gnawed beneath my skin and bored through bone.
I pitched as prey to pestilence’s funk—
It burned my brow and turned my limbs to stone.

It gnawed beneath my skin and bored through bone.
Blood boiled with bitter bile and fevered jitters.
It burned my brow and turned my limbs to stone,
Unleashing piercing beasts and godless critters.

Blood boiled with bitter bile and fevered jitters—
No prison keeps this poison pox at bay.
Unleashing piercing beasts and godless critters,
This vile and wily virus made me pay.

No prison keeps this poison pox at bay—
I locked down, muzzled up and shunned all contact.
This vile and wily virus made me pay—
I heard the hiss of sickness as my mind cracked.

.

.

Hale

a villanelle

The day my body came undone
And plunged me into pangs of pain,
I craved another day of sun.

I hadn’t finished with the fun.
I hungered for the taste of rain
The day my body came undone.

When fever flared and fire spun
And burned my bruised and blazing brain,
I craved another day of sun.

My joy had only just begun
The hour that sickness stained each vein—
The day my body came undone.

I ached for hummingbirds to come
And glitter on this coastal plain.
I craved another day of sun.

I haven’t lost. It hasn’t won.
I fought for all I stood to gain
The day my body came undone—
I craved another day of sun.

.

.

Block the Pox Fox!

When evil spat its name upon my skin
And burrowed into marrow with the force
Of demons squeezing breath out from within
And setting wheezing lungs on slaughter’s course,
I ran the gauntlet of the foolish ghouls
Who told me there’s no treatment and no cure.
I spurned their ill advice and ditched the rules
And trod the path of verdure—fresh and pure.
The truth that shone from those who dare to care
In times when greed and power snuff out lives,
Spared me as it made me well aware,
The Pox Fox is a dastard in disguise…

An expert who’s a fraud, a fiend, a fake—
A flake who’s on the make for Fauci’s sake.

.

.

Susan Jarvis Bryant is from Kent, England.  She is now an American citizen living on the coastal plains of Texas.  Susan has poetry published in the UK webzine, Lighten Up On Line, The Daily Mail, and Openings (anthologies of poems by Open University Poets).


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48 Responses

  1. Russel Winick

    Great work Susan! I’m so glad that you had your amazing talent to fall back on to help you get through this ordeal.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Thank you very much, Russel. I’m thrilled to be back on SCP, and have noticed plenty of beautiful poems have been posted… I will enjoy catching up.

      Reply
  2. Theresa Dould Cumming

    Dear Susan, I have enjoyed reading your poetry over these past few years. After reading your summation on Covid-19, I assumed that you too had encountered this wiley virus. But, reading the next two poems I came away not quite understanding – I’m probably not as intellectually articulate as are your other contributing poets. Those that say we should ignore the medical evidence do not agree with what I journeyed along with Covid.
    Is death so attractive to them?
    Theresa Dould Cummings

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Thank you for dropping by and commenting, Theresa. Just to clear matters up, yes, I did have Covid-19… I’m still recovering. I’m not suggesting anyone should “ignore the medical evidence”. In fact, reading plenty of medical evidence probably saved my life. The medical advice is a different matter. Upon receiving a positive result, the advice given was: there is no treatment, no cure, go home, take ibuprofen, and if you have trouble breathing go to ER. This is the sort of advice that’s killing people. If only the medical evidence was available to all. Sadly, in the cancel-culture environment we live in this is not the case.

      Reply
      • Mike Bryant

        Susan, isn’t this an odd pox that the CDC recommends that you go home without treatment? The lies are so easily spotted these days that I cannot imagine why anyone keeps believing them. Have people somehow become hypnotized by the constant contradictory advice? It didn’t work on us… we remember when any sickness was routinely treated immediately and, for the most part, effectively. Besides many treatments recommended by the Front Line Doctors, the state of Texas has many monoclonal antibody infusion centers set up in many cities. Our cases, hospitalizations and deaths are falling. Strangely, where treatment is discouraged until you must be hooked up to a ventilator, deaths and hospitalizations are up… I wonder why…
        Beautiful poetry… you nailed it!

  3. Margaret Coats

    Best wishes for full recovery, and congratulations on natural immunity! The pantoum and the villanelle are good illness poems, with the repeated lines focusing on the suffering. But the sonnet is the best of the three on the subject, because it highlights compassionate care using the too-much-neglected treatments, preventions, and ameliorations. Block that pox fox with all the pure verdure we’ve got, and it’s a lot if we can get it!

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Margaret, thank you very much for your astute and generous comment. Mike suffered too, and we are both so glad to be back. That pox fox has a lot to answer for. My advice is to seek the word of professionals not paid by the government who don’t have financial interests in Big Pharma and weren’t key players in gain of function research.

      Reply
  4. Sally Cook

    So happy to see you back on track, dear Susan !
    You are a rare bird indeed !
    May we hear more of them once again ?

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Dearest Sally, it’s wonderful to be back. I am happier than ever and eager to immerse myself in the delights of nature, take a few photos, and write a few poems. The hummingbirds are filling up on syrup before they migrate. Their flitting, glittering antics have assisted my recovery. There’s nothing like sunshine and feisty avian fairies to bring a little extra joy and energy to a tough day. Thank you for your lovely comment.

      Reply
  5. Joseph S. Salemi

    The constant effort to black out information on Ivermectin is a sign that we are living in a leftist totalitarian state, and the medical profession seems perfectly happy to go along with it.

    Reply
    • Mike Bryant

      Joe S… you know, of course, that you are passing on misinformation… if you don’t believe me, just ask Paul F.

      Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Joe S., you are absolutely right and it’s killing people. I encourage everyone to read about Uttar Pradesh – a story not covered by the corrupt mainstream media. It highlights the significance of life-saving, early treatment. Ivermectin isn’t just for horses!

      Reply
      • Mike Bryant

        Uttar Pradesh:
        https://iowaclimate.org/2021/09/16/uttar-pradesh-india-wipes-out-covid-with-ivermectin/
        Or… if you are a true believer in the Globalist narrative:
        https://www.logically.ai/factchecks/library/0347bd71

        From the fact check article:
        “The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.”

        Of course, trust WHO… trust the CCP that weaponized and released Covid… trust Fauci who funded the gain of function research at the Wuhan lab…

      • Mike Bryant

        Paul… your article is from July 16… it is not even about the recent spectacular results of the government of Uttar Pradesh in issuing Ivermectin kits to anyone with Covid. No wonder you’re so easily fooled. Read…

      • Paul Freeman

        There’s also the British Medical Journal:

        https://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2021/05/26/bmjebm-2021-111678

        The Daily Mail:

        https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10017127/Ivermectin-does-NOT-fight-Covid-scientific-reviews-heaping-praise-wormer-drug-flawed.html

        The Journal:

        https://www.thejournal.ie/factcheck-ivermectin-5526152-Aug2021/

        The Canberra Times

        https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7432750/what-we-know-about-ivermectin/

        What interests me most is the cut, paste, thesaurus methodology of the report, where SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) became (Extreme Intense Respiratory Syndrome), and one patient left hospital on the 31st of June.

        The reason Covid sufferers are sent away from hospital (as we’ve been told for months) is that the unvaccinated are likely to get sicker than vaccinated if they catch Covid, so hospital ICU units are choc-a-bloc with the most severe cases who will need oxygen and constant monitoring, thereby overwhelming many hospitals.

      • Mike Bryant

        And once again Paul is all in with the globalists. Believe those making billions on the vaccines. Don’t you think it’s a little odd that Merck has just tweaked ivermectin so they can get it approved as a treatment for Covid? Please tell me you don’t believe everything you are being fed.
        Susan and I are unvaccinated… we did NOT take up even one hospital bed. Hundreds of our congressmen took ivermectin as prescribed by their doctors. Wake up! Try to swim against the propaganda.

        Read

        https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/389302/uttar-pradesh-is-ivermectins-best-practice-success-story/

      • Susan Jarvis Bryant

        Paul,

        Let’s leave aside the links to all the narratives one can choose from on the internet. Here’s some firsthand information from a direct source – me.

        I believe the reason people are dying (both vaccinated and unvaccinated) is because they are not receiving treatment as soon as they are diagnosed. Instead, like me, they hear this advice from pharmacists and doctors: Go home. Take ibuprofen. When you have extreme difficulty breathing, go to ER. This may work for some. It doesn’t for many, whether or not they’ve had a shot.

        This happened to my friend’s husband in the UK. He stayed at home (as instructed) until his fingertips and toes turned blue, ended up in intensive care and was intubated – a death sentence. He died two days later. I personally know others who have met the same fate, all because doctors will not treat, they’ll only intubate.

        Mike and I didn’t listen to the advice. We had already made provision for a possible attack of the virus and were treating ourselves. We also sought out monoclonal antibody treatment provided by the State of Texas. There are centers all over Texas – centers the medical profession will not disclose. We had to research where they were. The treatment centers had equal measures of vaccinated and unvaccinated people as verified by two centers. Early treatment kept us from hospitalization. The experimental jabs are failing, which is why we are on the path to endless boosters. This is why early treatment is important.

        I’m imparting with this knowledge because Mike and I are healthy, living proof that this virus can be beaten without a jab and with early treatment. We are both in an ‘at risk’ age bracket and we didn’t listen to the advice from the CDC. We DID SOMETHING. I hope others read this and do the same.

        By the way, if you need help you can get it from the Front Line Doctors – FLCCC. There are tens of thousands of doctors pushing back against this unethical money-grab by governments, Big Pharma and their toadies. Reading from professional sources that have no financial interest in this virus could well save your life… I hope my experience will help others too.

      • Joseph S. Salemi

        It’s interesting that Paul Freeman constantly quotes from Mainstream Media. I wonder if he realizes that Dr. Goebbels was Mainstream Media in his day, and Pravda was Mainstream Media right up to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

      • Mike Bryant

        D. G. Rowe,
        I watched the the video. It is chilling. The funeral director has nothing to gain and everything to lose because he has decided to tell the truth. He is correct about the Hippocratic Oath having been changed to remove, “First, do no harm…” so, they are murderers, but at least they are not breaking the oath. His video is a call to action. It’s too bad that most have been so thoroughly indoctrinated they believe it is all a joke. There is nothing funny about state sanctioned murder. Our children are next in line for extermination and sterilization.

      • Susan Jarvis Bryant

        Joe S., I cannot believe how many people are listening to and taken in by the corrupt MSM. The point you make about Dr. Goebbels and Pravda should be a warning to everyone – history does indeed repeat itself.

        I stopped trusting the MSM in 2004, when the then UK Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan was sacked after the newspaper conceded sick photos of British soldiers abusing Iraqis were fake. This shocked me. Now, nothing shocks me. A bit of straight forward research and number checking coupled with common sense should let everyone know the MSM is feeding from the financial trough of the corrupt and pushing their propaganda. Will we never learn?

        I thoroughly recommend Sharyl Attkisson’s book ‘Slanted’ to anyone interested in hearing the truth about how we’re being played by the Main Stream Media. Knowledge really is power.

      • D.G. Rowe

        Mike Bryant.
        Yes, it is bloody infuriating. And as you say, they are coming hard for the children.
        With the wealth of clear cut, irrefutable information that one can find, that clearly shows the genocidal criminality being perpetrated; the moral cowardice and intellectual naivety shown by those in the general population advocating this injected substance and co-signing the extended mainstream narrative is unforgivable. Vile and putrid. The tyrants succeed in large part because of their consistent moral and intellectual credulity.

        Despite some of the same points being raised and explained by John, take time to listen to this interview, also. He gave with Reinier Fuellmich, they both touch upon extended information and delve deeper in detail on points not raised in the first interview you viewed.
        Worth a watch, dear chap. All the best.

        https://odysee.com/@HumanitysVault:a/%E2%81%A3%E2%81%A3Reiner-Fuellmich-interviews-Funeral-Director-John-O'Looney:0

      • Mike Bryant

        D. G. Rowe,
        This video explains the dilemma we face perfectly. It is interesting that the jab may go out in batches in which 85% of them are simply saline. Of course, these saline injections cause no side effects, except to make the jabbed believe they are protected from covid. At least they believed that until the story was changed… now they believe they are not protected from Covid, but they will suffer less than they would have without the jab. What they don’t realize is that the new deaths are not from any variant, but rather from the side effects of the jab itself. Now that the believing “protected” are committed to the twice yearly jabs, they are playing a kind of Russian roulette… will they get the saline solution or will they get the next Greek letter variant?
        All the while the actual protection comes from natural immunity.
        https://www.independentsentinel.com/follow-the-science-30-peer-reviewed-studies-show-efficacy-of-natural-immunity/
        And they the hypnotized, the fooled, the foolish and the cruel will let these monsters play the same game with their children and grandchildren.
        God help us. I’m afraid He may be the only one who can.

  6. Brian Yapko

    Dear Susan, Wow – just wow. Thank you for taking your illness and transforming this dreadful experience into fine poetry! You and Mike have my prayers for a full, speedy and complete recovery.

    It’s harder than usual to comment on your poetry since the line (for me) is blurred as between concern for your well-being and appreciating the high quality of your work. I will say that all three of these poems in demanding forms are just terrific. Like Margaret, I think I greatly appreciate the message of the sonnet most of all. It puts a harsh spotlight on the ethics (or lack thereof) in the way covid is medically treated by those whose objectivity and disinterest are very much in question. It is filled with great little phrases “foolish ghouls” — or the utter horror of a line like “wheezing lungs on slaughter’s course.”

    Having recently completed my first villanelle I greatly admire “Hale” which presents undiluted pathos in such a skilled, uncensored way. To feel one’s body “come undone” must be quite terrifying.

    Of the three, I like “A Pox Upon My House” best. (Deeply witty title, by the way. ) This one, though in a demanding form, seems written in your most comfortable, familiar voice – one which juxtaposes gallows humor with deep feeling and which virtually explodes with images which veer from scathing to rich in pathos. The end result is an unforgettable fever dream.

    As always, Susan, I applaud your artistry and your bravery. And I’m very glad you and Mike are on the mend.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Brian, thank you very much for your kindness, your care, and your appreciation of my poetry. A huge fear came over me when I was at the peak of illness, and that was I wouldn’t be able to write. My head was fuzzy and my brain was all over the place… ahh, a pantoum will put me straight, I thought – a bit of literary discipline will straighten out my fevered and foggy brain. I tried to get a feel of the illness within the form’s constraints… and I’m thrilled it’s your favorite!

      There’s nothing like being sick to set one’s heart and mind straight… a brush with sickness certainly puts things into perspective, and it’s those simple things in life (for me) that mean the most. I intend to enjoy every bird, bee and butterfly encounter to its fullest from here on in!

      As for the sonnet, that came as the Covid was waning. It’s full of anger for those smug and greedy government-paid “experts” who withhold information and lie about treatment to the point where they’re playing God with people’s lives. Those in the medical profession who told me there was “no treatment” have my utmost contempt… I’m glad it shows. 🙂

      Thanks again, Brian. Your comment has brightened my already bright day even more!

      Reply
  7. Paul Freeman

    Glad to hear you and Mike are on the mend. Your absences had me quite anxious, wondering if Covid were the culprit.

    Writing when ill is very cathartic, and although we may disagree on your assessment of Dr Fauci, as always, some fine poetry.

    Strangely enough, two months before the pandemic started in earnest, I was laid low by flu. Alas, the sonnet I wrote about it, which I felt was quite good, is now pretty much obsolete.

    Once again, glad you’re both well on the mend.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Thank you, Paul – I appreciate your kind words. I hope you never have to adapt your flu sonnet into a Covid-19 sonnet! By the way, the sonnet isn’t my assessment on Fauci… it’s common knowledge with plenty of evidence out there to back it up… if one moves away from the propagandist MSM, that is.

      Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      Considering all of your foregoing comments, all I can say is “Once a Libtard, always a Libtard. Few have been cured of this malady. Believe what government officials tell you, at all costs.

      Reply
  8. Jeff Eardley

    Susan, on this sad day when one of most decent and well-liked MPs has been stabbed to death, I was so pleased to read that this dreadful virus has not quenched your ability to astound us again. I can’t add to Brian’s excellent critique. Welcome back to reality and best wishes to both of you for a full recovery.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Jeff, the news on David Amess is shocking and horrific… not far from where I used to live. I am very sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to his family.

      Thank you very much for your kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed the poems… Covid didn’t keep me from my favorite pastime, although, I must say – it almost did… almost. I’m thrilled to be back, and it’s lovely to be talking to my friends here on SCP.

      Reply
  9. Peter Hartley

    Susan, so now I know why you’ve been off the SCP scene for a week or two. My best wishes to you and to Mike on a complete and rapid recovery and I’m pleased to note that your literary and prosodic prowess have been completely unaffected by your illness, still full of all the characteristics we associate with your style of poetry and unique to you. Welcome back, and don’t go off again!!!!!

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Peter, thank you for your kind words. I’m over the moon to hear my “literary and prosodic prowess have been completely unaffected by my illness”… any twinge of fear I had on the poetry front has just floated into orbit and dissolved. It’s great to be back and I certainly don’t intend to go off again!

      Reply
  10. Damian Robin

    I’m glad you’re (both) getting well
    away from the bug from Hell —
    Perhaps it’s cos you spell
    words and poems so well
    You’ve made a well-made spell
    that’s made a sure-fire shell
    Around your cores to quell
    the wraiths whose yells would fell
    Your upright citadel
    whose clear lines show and tell
    The pure thoughts where you dwell —
    how could you not be well,
    And all be well, all well,
    all manner of things be well . . .

    well done, both, from a place near Norwich

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Damian, what a fantastic welcome back with a wonderful poem that’s magnificent in message and monorhyme… bravo! You are an inspiration- thank you!

      Reply
  11. James A. Tweedie

    Susan,

    Been there. Done that.

    Glad that you are back and feeling better.

    Your poems are the sort of thing that SCP exists for:
    To celebrate how formal poetic forms can inspire us to articulate thoughts, feelings, or tell a story as well or better than we could have written it in prose.

    Each of your three poems illustrates this very point.

    Welcome back.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      James, I’m so sorry to hear you’ve suffered too. I hope you have bounced back unscathed.

      I thoroughly appreciate your wonderful words on my poems. Your description of poetry is beautiful and perfect and I shall try my very best to rise to this level on a regular basis.

      It’s great to be back. Thank you for such a lovely welcome.

      Reply
  12. Yael

    Susan I’m so happy to see that the Fausti Flu wasn’t able to squelch your fine wit and poetry and I’m praying for you and Mike to regain your health to the fullest.
    There is a dire warning recorded in the book of Hosea, the 4th chapter, concerning the times in which we live. In verse 6 it is written:
    “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
    Those who would spread disease and withhold effective treatments from people intentionally are dooming themselves to their own destruction.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Yael, thank you so very much for your care and your support. The Bible verse you quote makes so much sense. Lack of knowledge is a killer. In this age of cancel culture the truth is extremely hard to find, but, it is out there. It can be found. All one has to do is listen to those who have everything to lose – those with no financial interest in the experimental jabs, those who aren’t paid by the government, and those who are brave enough to lay their jobs and life on the line to bring us the knowledge we need to survive. There is always a shining light in the darkness… I’m glad Mike and I saw it.

      Reply
  13. David Watt

    Susan, I am very glad that you and Mike have beaten this horrible virus.

    I particularly appreciate the defiance and vitality of ‘Block The Fox Pox!’

    There are no infusion centres in this neck of the woods, merely the standard hospital treatments. You are fortunate to reside in Texas. The percentage
    having at least one jab in our jurisdiction is now 99 plus. For now I remain in this wafer-slim minority.

    All the best for your continued recovery.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      David, thank you very much for your kind response to my poems. I’m thrilled to hear you liked the sonnet… it was written straight from the heart in all of 20 minutes. I’m am so tired of the greed, the lies, and the endeavour to wipe out every last freedom we have.

      I seriously hope things get better in your part of the world. I’ve seen the brave people of Australia protesting against the mandates on a regular basis and have nothing but the highest respect for them. I only hope it makes a difference.

      Reply
  14. Mia

    As an admirer of your poetry I was actually quite distressed to hear
    that you suffered so much. It is so ironic that you seem to have
    contracted this just after your brilliant poems on this theme.
    Your poetry has made me think of mythological monsters and how this scourge could be akin to one. And of course all mythological monsters need
    heroes and heroines and well done to you and your husband for being both.
    All best wishes to you and thanks for caring so much which comes across in your brilliant poetry.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Mia, thank you very much for your words of care and concern. Mike and I are up and about and feeling much better now… thank goodness!

      You have a wonderful imagination. I simply love your metaphor of the mythological monster and (of course) relish the idea of Mike and me being a heroes in the fight against it. Covid is indeed a monster we were able to slay – hurray!

      It’s great to be back. Thanks again, Mia. Your words have given me a wonderful Sunday morning smile. 🙂

      Reply
  15. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Firstly, this doesn’t sound like, Daniel. Secondly, I believe Covid is real… and can be beaten with early treatment. As for ‘paedophilic liberals’… what does this have to do with Covid? If this is you, Daniel, you’re beginning to worry me.

    Reply
  16. Daniel Kemper

    HACKED ACCOUNT – THIS IS THE REAL DANIEL KEMPER. I HAVE CONTACTED EVAN TO GET MY ACCOUNT SECURED AGAIN.

    I DID NOT POST THE BIZARRE COMMENT TO SUSAN’S POEM.

    Reply
    • Mike Bryant, moderator

      Daniel Kemper,
      Please see the moderator’s addendum to the liar, p jackson.

      Reply

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