A transgender high-level U.S. government official.‘In Plain Sight’ and Other Poetry by Susan Jarvis Bryant The Society September 4, 2022 Culture, Pantoum, Poetry 45 Comments . In Plain Sight Our enemies aren’t rattling at the gate. Our foes aren’t firing shots from foreign ground. They toy with minds—pain brains, and obfuscate— We bend and bow and break without a sound. They’re lurking in the sanctuary of the church. They’re sullying the syllabus at schools. They sneak and skulk and pry and poke and search For heretics who flout despotic rules. They skew our speech and snatch our words away Till tethered tongues have nothing left to say. Our enemies aren’t kings from overseas. They’re drag queens flouncing in a spandex dress, Swathing kids in sequin-sprinkled sleaze To sexualize and sexually impress. Our enemies are armed to snip and slice The budding bodies of our brainwashed youth. These ghouls decide what’s naughty and what’s nice All in the name of beauty, joy, and truth. Our enemies are perverts with a ploy To butcher every preyed-on girl and boy. Our enemies have killed the chromosome. Woman is a term that’s obsolete. A gender-frenzied world is now the home Of cocky mockers vying to compete In sports with those we’re not allowed to mention. The outcome is decidedly awry— A vicious move of villainous intention That pokes all facts and fairness in the eye. Our enemies are laughing up their sleeves At servile twerps their wickedness deceives. Our enemies have locked us up and lied. They’ve nagged and gagged and jabbed us with a grin. They partied hard and danced while they denied Our freedoms as we took it on the chin. Our enemies have stolen life and time. They’ve isolated, castigated, shamed. They’ve sold us daily care that reeks of crime. They’ve peddled fear; they’ve murdered and they’ve maimed. Our enemies are richer than before. They robbed and ran and now they’re back for more. Our enemies aren’t bombing from the sky. They blow up and they blast us to our face. They hush and crush each what? and where? and why?— To question is a damnable disgrace. They plot our fall and haunt the halls of power. They whisper to the serpent of their plan. They’re gaining strength with every passing hour. They’re taking over just because they can. Our enemies within are waging war— The chilling fact we’re willing to ignore. . . Pick Your Pronoun a pantoum I will not buy the lie we’re being sold. I will not play the pick-your-pronoun game. I’ve seen the twisted trickery unfold. I know the con behind the kindness claim. I will not play the pick-your-pronoun game. No clueless child should make a reckless choice. I know the con behind the kindness claim— A scheme that spurs the devil to rejoice. No clueless child should make a reckless choice. Lies lead to drug-and-scalpel vows of joy— A scheme that spurs the devil to rejoice In mutilation of a girl or boy. Lies lead to drug-and-scalpel vows of joy. No way will I condone this bogus care. The mutilation of a girl or boy All starts with pick your pronoun—Satan’s snare… No way will I condone this bogus care. I’ve seen the twisted trickery unfold. It starts with pick your pronoun—Satan’s snare. I will not buy the lie we’re being sold. . . I Was Born… On the fourth of September as the sun’s final ember __Of gold bade goodbye to the sky, In the land of umbrellas, black cabs, cockney fellas, __Big Ben and the Thames and The Eye. In a quaint house in Kent, birthdays came and they went __In the kingdom of hedgerows and hops, Cricket pavilions, delphiniums, sweet williams, __And crumpets with tea in twee shops. Now I party in Texas where hurricanes hex us __And summer days simmer year long, On the wild sprawling plains where it’s rare that it rains __And mockingbirds retweet their song. I am raising a toast in the hot solar roast __As the hummingbirds gleam in the glare Of candles a-flaring as bluegrass is blaring __And swallowtails coast in mid-air. On the fourth of September, I’ll always remember __My birthdays long gone as I make New memories to hold in my heart with the old __To savor with Earl Grey and cake. Today I will drift in my heaven-sent gift— __That Stonehenge-and-Alamo mix Of Lone Star largesse and bone-china finesse— __My English-rose-rodeo fix. . . Susan Jarvis Bryant has poetry published on Lighten Up Online, Snakeskin, Light, Sparks of Calliope, and Expansive Poetry Online. She also has poetry published in TRINACRIA, Beth Houston’s Extreme Formal Poems anthology, and in Openings (anthologies of poems by Open University Poets in the UK). Susan is the winner of the 2020 International SCP Poetry Competition, and has been nominated for the 2022 Pushcart Prize. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. CODEC Stories:Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) 45 Responses weewayne September 4, 2022 always a pleasure your words to seek Reply Richard Craven September 4, 2022 My new favourite poet, saying what desperately needs to be said about the sadistic paedophiles hiding in plain sight. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Richard, thank you! Now’s our time to speak out before it’s too late. Your support is much appreciated. Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you very much, weewayne… I’m glad my words appeal. 🙂 Reply Joseph S. Salemi September 4, 2022 Susan, these are all great poems! “Pick Your Pronoun” is especially timely, as this insane practice is already being implemented in colleges on the class rosters. I won’t use these stupid new pronouns for the same reason that I won’t talk to a schizophrenic’s imaginary friend. It’s simply enabling and ratifying someone’s fantasy world. I will only refer to a person as “he” or “she,” and if anyone has a problem with that, well — fa ‘ntu culu, as my grandfather would have said. The disgusting picture that Evan picked to illustrate this post is one that leaves me physically ill. When our foreign enemies see it, I assume they will smile, and think how easily they will mop the floor with us in the next war. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Joe, thank you for this. It’s so heartening to hear you’re rejecting the “preferred pronouns”, and your “schizophrenic’s imaginary friend” analogy is perfect. Many have no idea they’re enabling the drugging and mutilation of minors the minute they succumb to the pick-your-pronoun charade… greedy eyes are watching, and lists of those children destined for butchery are being made. Jordan Peterson was right to rail against it so vehemently. Once language is demonized and controlled by a tyrannical government, society is on the road to disaster. Reply Dan Ward September 4, 2022 Happy Birthday! And, thanks for the three gifts. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 You are most welcome, Dan. Thank you very much for your comment. Reply Jack “Michael” Dashiell September 4, 2022 You deserve the best rewards. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Jack, thank you for your lovely words – they are much appreciated. Reply Joshua C. Frank September 4, 2022 Happy birthday Susan! Great poems as usual. I don’t know how you manage to write so many brilliant poems about the big scourges of the current decade, but you do it really well. The fact is, our enemies have assimilated almost everyone to some degree; they’ve won the war, conquered the rest of us, and is now on a new war, this time against renegades like us. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you very much, Josh. I’m so troubled by what’s going on in today’s society that I simply have to do something about it in the way I know best… poetry. I am also beginning to speak out and not let lies pass me by – always politely but firmly. I have suffered for it, but that’s nothing compared to the suffering of the children and the world in general at the hands of governments who have turned on their own citizens. I couldn’t live with myself if I remained silent. I have a feeling from reading your admirable poetry, you feel much the same and I thank you for it. Reply Sally Cook September 4, 2022 Dear Susan, Happiest of birthdays to you, dear friend. My father’s was the 12th or 13th; he was never was sure which. Suppose that accounted for his peripatetic ways. This changing of pronouns is INSANE !! I recently heard of some wokes with a big social problem — how to address the invitation to two lesbians married to each other. My choice would be don’t invite either one until they figure out who THEY are. They will go on like this until some other slightly more or less nuts invades and takes our country over. Where are, who are our leaders? Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Dearest Sally, thank you very much for your kind birthday wishes. I am glad to share a birthday month with your father. September is beautiful in England…the summer is just breathing out the last of her humidity and that little hint of autumn’s freshness whispers on the breeze, yet the skies are blue and the sun is bright. In Texas, September is hellishly hot with no sign of autumn in sight… which is why my birthday came as such a surprise. It was a typical English August… drizzling rain all day – in honor of my day, I’m certain. I learned that hummingbirds love rain. My birthday gift was around sixty hummingbirds jostling on buzzing wing at the seven syrup feeders in our backyard. I adore hummingbirds… I’d never seen one until I came to Texas. To answer your question on “our leaders” – they’re the one-worlders who comprise the World Economic Forum… no one voted them in, and they control our prime ministers and presidents, which is why the Western world has lost its collective mind… collective being the operative word. Let’s hope we can pull back from this brink of destruction. Reply Phil S. Rogers September 4, 2022 All excellent as usual, and a very, very, happy birthday! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you very much, Phil. Your kind words are much appreciated! Reply Mary Gardner September 4, 2022 A happy birthday to you, Susan! Your poems are always excellent. I admire that you pen outstanding poems in a variety of forms. Reply Julian D. Woodruff September 4, 2022 Thank you for all 3, and for yesterday’s. I simply can’t keep up. But Happy Birthday, SJ Bryant, SCP’s poetic giant. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Julian, I’m smiling. I can barely keep up with myself. Thank you very much for your kind and your rhyming words. Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Mary, thank you very much for my birthday wishes and your appreciation of my poetry. Your “Tapestry” is beautiful, making your fine eye even more appreciated. I look forward to reading more of your poetry. Reply Paul Buchheit September 4, 2022 Great birthday poem, Susan. You are a magician with words! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you very much, Paul! Shazam 🙂 Reply jd September 4, 2022 Hope you’ve had a Happy Birthday, Susan. Why wouldn’t you? You are doing what you love and best of all, you are excellent at it. All good poems above. I especially love the last. A celebration of the normal. Love “English rose-rodeo>” Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you very much, jd, for your support and your appreciation. I am over the moon to be on a site with so many talented poets – poets who surprise and inspire me and have me reveling in the wonder of and the power of words. The SCP is the perfect place to be with many admirable people on it… people who make me strive to do my best… thank you for being one of them. Reply Russel Winick September 4, 2022 Susan: Great x 3, of course. I trust you’ve enjoyed your birthday and all the well-deserved comments that you’ve received. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Russel, I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday – thank you! Thank you too for your continued support… especially when I need it most. Reply Margaret Coats September 5, 2022 Anyone who writes a birthday poem to herself with such adroit placement of alliteration and internal rhymes is not in the least presumptuous. Hope your celebration was sweet and savory! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Margaret, you have made me smile. I couldn’t help myself with the birthday poem. The older I get the more joyful I feel about birthdays. I revel in them and want to spread that joy far and wide. My poem is a quirky song of celebration, and who better to share it with than all the beautiful poets at the SCP… those who appreciate my words to the fullest. Margaret, thank you! Reply Martin Rizley September 5, 2022 Susan, I can´t add anything to what the others have said; I simply want to add my voice of appreciation to theirs for the poems you are writing that burn like acid through the lies of our age– lies by which the devil is seeking to destroy the foundations of Western Civilization. (We must never forget that he is the mastermind behind these attacks on truth and goodness and the image of God in man– the human promoters of this pandemonium are simply spiritually blind pawns that do his bidding.) The lies being promoted by the Marxist left are so outrageous, so insane, that it is hard to believe the inroads they have made into the culture; but your poems expose the absurdity and diabolical deceit of these lies with a searing sarcasm that burns away the facade of “kindness” that hides a monstrous malevolence. Just before reading your poems, I ran across a talk by Dr. Owen Strachan on YouTube that addresses the need for people in all walks of life to resist these cultural lies that are being promoted by the radical left. I think you will find his message encouraging, if you have time to watch it, given the burden you feel for the way these lies are destroying people´s lives. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdgTd8jIZYo&t=479s Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Martin, you always manage to convey exactly what I aim to do with my words with clarity and eloquence. Thank you very much, indeed. I think that in these days of being bombarded with skewed opinion pieces passed off as “news” there’s an important role to be played by poetry of this nature. It captures in a nutshell all of those emotions many of us feel but don’t want to read or hear a longwinded article about. Literature has always had an impactful effect on me, and it’s works of literature that I remember when I think of the bad, mad world we inhabit today. There is much wisdom and truth in fiction. I believe many historic novelists could write with abandon under the guise of “fiction” – a luxury being stifled for those who do not promote the government’s narrative of today. Thank you for the link to Dr. Owen Strachan’s talk. I will most certainly be watching it. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 6, 2022 Martin, thank you for the link – Mike and I watched this last night and thoroughly recommend it to anyone feeling confused and lost in this increasingly cruel and duplicitous world. I have a great deal of respect for Owen Strachan. I read his book ‘Christianity and Wokeness’ a year or so ago, and it helped me through a most stressful time. If anyone thinks their church feels a little off and isn’t delivering a clear and helpful message, in keeping with God’s Word, this book may be of help. Thanks again, Martin. Reply Roy E. Peterson September 5, 2022 “In Plain Sight” is such a great title for a poem that demonstrates the degradation of our society and country at the highest levels of power! There is so much truth in your closing line: “The chilling fact we’re willing to ignore.” “Pick Your Pronoun” is a similarly apt commentary on the stupidity prevalent in our present demise as we descend to the doorstep of hell. Happy Birthday indeed to one of our greatest living poets! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Roy, thank you very much indeed! I thoroughly appreciate your encouraging words and your birthday wishes… I am going to make sure my birthday is extended to a week! I am fully aware that the truth is unpalatable and that it hurts. I’m working on getting the bitter, hard-to-swallow truth out there and I’m feeling some burning backlash… very good news indeed! Reply Cheryl Corey September 5, 2022 All are fabulous, Susan. The first two would make woke heads explode. I envy you your many hummingbirds. Woodpeckers also love the syrup. Happy b. day. 29 and holding? Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you, Cheryl. I can hear those heads exploding… music to this poet’s ear. I adore the hummingbirds. I love woodpeckers too and had no idea they loved syrup. I know squirrels like it. We have a fat and nimble squirrel who does a balancing act Cirque-du-Soleil style for our entertainment. He swings upside down on the feeder supping syrup as his magnificent tail swishes like a ginger feather boa. We get this amazing daily spectacle for free! God’s gifts are the best. Reply Brian Yapko September 5, 2022 Dear Susan, A trio of Bryant delights, some more piquant than others. Starting with In Plain Sight – brava! You nail so much of what is wrong with what our Leftist overlords seek to ram down the throat of reasonable, grown-up people. I’m especially struck by your observations that “They’re lurking in the sanctuary of the church/They’re sullying the syllabus at schools.” These are the two institutions (other than the family itself) which are the most influential on our young people and both have become centers of Leftist propaganda. That this is where future generations are being indoctrinated is indeed terrifying and, although it contradicts my own “Not the Third Reich” poem (which dealt primarily with accusations against the Right), I’m being forced to conclude that Leftist ideologues have disgustingly stolen whole chapters from Hitler’s playbook. My only challenge to your message is one I think you’ll agree with: “They TRY to skew our speech and snatch our words away.” Well, let them try. They’ll not succeed. The truth has a way of coming out even under the most dire of circumstances, even if it emanates from an underground printing press. And then there’s the biblical take on the issue from Luke: “I tell you if they keep quiet the stones themselves will start shouting.” Of course, I realize that people on this site will not be quieted and that your target audience is the wishy-washy people out there who will not take action. Hopefully your poem will inspire them to do something useful and moral. Pick Your Pronoun is spot-on. I love this poem and think it should be required reading. The tyranny of pronouns is ridiculous – which is part of why I wrote my Birthing Person’s Day poem. But I have to say I howled over Dr. Salemi’s comment “I won’t use these stupid new pronouns for the same reason that I won’t talk to a schizophrenic’s imaginary friend. It’s simply enabling and ratifying someone’s fantasy world.” I’m going to type that brilliant comment up and paste it on my wall because it says what I’ve been thinking but had trouble articulating about the issue. We are endorsing pure psychiatric fantasy when we cooperate in this nonsense. Lastly, although I have already offered my best wishes, let me say a belated Happy Birthday, Susan! I hope you had a wonderful celebration and I hope you know how much the better the world is for your being here. Many happy returns. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Brian, thank you very much. I always appreciate your analyses and your fine eye for detail. I like the “They TRY to skew our speech and snatch our words away.” It’s much more hopeful than mine and (thank goodness) we’ve not reached that stage where we’re ordering the tombstone for free speech yet. We need to indulge in this right more than ever these days… we cannot watch on the sidelines as speech breathes its final breath. I do realize “the people on this site will not be quieted” and I am heartened by this. I’ve been on this magnificent site for three years and my word is being heard in dark and distant quarters… unrest is afoot, which means the truth is out. ‘Pick Your Pronoun’ is my favorite. This is where the wickedness begins… and this is where I’d like it to end. If anyone thinks it’s harmless to buy into the let’s make the kids feel safe and normal spiel, preferred pronouns lead to lists, psychiatric assessments, hormone blockers, and surgery… all before children have had a chance to work out what adult life, love and sex is all about. I’m glad many are beginning to see the bigger picture. Brian, thank you for my birthday wishes and your kind words. Dealing in the immutable truth isn’t easy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way… and I know you feel the same. Reply Jeff Kemper September 5, 2022 Happy birthday, British Texan! I hope you like bluegrass music; at its best it’s hardly bettered by any folk music available, in my opinion. On your poems . . . besides the sheer joy of reading excellent poetry, there’s nothing left to say! I often wonder whether 50 or 100 years from now people will look back on these times laughing at the silly but horrifying stupidity into which our society has sunk? Or will they wonder why it took so long for humanity to recognize the “truth”? I hope it’s not the latter. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Jeff, it’s lovely to hear from you, and thank you very much! I am proud to be a British Texan. I had never heard of bluegrass music before I came here, and I am now a fan… a huge fan. Thank you very much for your appreciation of my poetry. Your words mean a lot. I’m hoping, with a bit of boldness and bravery from all those who know better than the government and their appointed and well-paid “experts” we will pull through this ugly piece of history with our integrity intact. I am ever the optimist and will do my little bit to be the voice of reason in an insane world. I thoroughly appreciate your encouragement. Who knows, poetry may make a difference. Reply Yael September 5, 2022 Happy Birthday Susan! It’s always a joy to read your poetry, thank you for sharing. I’m looking forward to many more good years and poems of yours. Cheers:) Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Yael, thank you very much for my birthday wishes, your kind and wise words, and your support and encouragement. Your words are a golden ray of hope bursting through the insidious idiocy and insanity of this wicked world today. More poems are on their way… I refuse to be silenced by berks of little brain. 🙂 Reply Janice Canerdy September 6, 2022 Great poems. To the message in “Pick Your Pronouns,” I say a loud “AMEN”! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 8, 2022 Thank you very much, Janice. I thoroughly appreciate your kind words. Reply David Watt September 7, 2022 Happy birthday Susan from a fellow September child. The accompanying photo is horribly appropriate, but your poems are great. David Watt grey/slim Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant September 8, 2022 Yay!! A fellow September child… what a beautiful month to be born in. I always appreciate your encouragement. Thank you for your lovely words, and a very happy birthday to you too! I’m celebrating for the entire month… birthdays get more important to me the older I get… and I love to revel in the joys of life despite its numerous problems. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Captcha loading...In order to pass the CAPTCHA please enable JavaScript. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Richard Craven September 4, 2022 My new favourite poet, saying what desperately needs to be said about the sadistic paedophiles hiding in plain sight. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Richard, thank you! Now’s our time to speak out before it’s too late. Your support is much appreciated.
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you very much, weewayne… I’m glad my words appeal. 🙂 Reply
Joseph S. Salemi September 4, 2022 Susan, these are all great poems! “Pick Your Pronoun” is especially timely, as this insane practice is already being implemented in colleges on the class rosters. I won’t use these stupid new pronouns for the same reason that I won’t talk to a schizophrenic’s imaginary friend. It’s simply enabling and ratifying someone’s fantasy world. I will only refer to a person as “he” or “she,” and if anyone has a problem with that, well — fa ‘ntu culu, as my grandfather would have said. The disgusting picture that Evan picked to illustrate this post is one that leaves me physically ill. When our foreign enemies see it, I assume they will smile, and think how easily they will mop the floor with us in the next war. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Joe, thank you for this. It’s so heartening to hear you’re rejecting the “preferred pronouns”, and your “schizophrenic’s imaginary friend” analogy is perfect. Many have no idea they’re enabling the drugging and mutilation of minors the minute they succumb to the pick-your-pronoun charade… greedy eyes are watching, and lists of those children destined for butchery are being made. Jordan Peterson was right to rail against it so vehemently. Once language is demonized and controlled by a tyrannical government, society is on the road to disaster. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 You are most welcome, Dan. Thank you very much for your comment. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Jack, thank you for your lovely words – they are much appreciated. Reply
Joshua C. Frank September 4, 2022 Happy birthday Susan! Great poems as usual. I don’t know how you manage to write so many brilliant poems about the big scourges of the current decade, but you do it really well. The fact is, our enemies have assimilated almost everyone to some degree; they’ve won the war, conquered the rest of us, and is now on a new war, this time against renegades like us. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you very much, Josh. I’m so troubled by what’s going on in today’s society that I simply have to do something about it in the way I know best… poetry. I am also beginning to speak out and not let lies pass me by – always politely but firmly. I have suffered for it, but that’s nothing compared to the suffering of the children and the world in general at the hands of governments who have turned on their own citizens. I couldn’t live with myself if I remained silent. I have a feeling from reading your admirable poetry, you feel much the same and I thank you for it. Reply
Sally Cook September 4, 2022 Dear Susan, Happiest of birthdays to you, dear friend. My father’s was the 12th or 13th; he was never was sure which. Suppose that accounted for his peripatetic ways. This changing of pronouns is INSANE !! I recently heard of some wokes with a big social problem — how to address the invitation to two lesbians married to each other. My choice would be don’t invite either one until they figure out who THEY are. They will go on like this until some other slightly more or less nuts invades and takes our country over. Where are, who are our leaders? Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Dearest Sally, thank you very much for your kind birthday wishes. I am glad to share a birthday month with your father. September is beautiful in England…the summer is just breathing out the last of her humidity and that little hint of autumn’s freshness whispers on the breeze, yet the skies are blue and the sun is bright. In Texas, September is hellishly hot with no sign of autumn in sight… which is why my birthday came as such a surprise. It was a typical English August… drizzling rain all day – in honor of my day, I’m certain. I learned that hummingbirds love rain. My birthday gift was around sixty hummingbirds jostling on buzzing wing at the seven syrup feeders in our backyard. I adore hummingbirds… I’d never seen one until I came to Texas. To answer your question on “our leaders” – they’re the one-worlders who comprise the World Economic Forum… no one voted them in, and they control our prime ministers and presidents, which is why the Western world has lost its collective mind… collective being the operative word. Let’s hope we can pull back from this brink of destruction. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you very much, Phil. Your kind words are much appreciated! Reply
Mary Gardner September 4, 2022 A happy birthday to you, Susan! Your poems are always excellent. I admire that you pen outstanding poems in a variety of forms. Reply
Julian D. Woodruff September 4, 2022 Thank you for all 3, and for yesterday’s. I simply can’t keep up. But Happy Birthday, SJ Bryant, SCP’s poetic giant. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Julian, I’m smiling. I can barely keep up with myself. Thank you very much for your kind and your rhyming words.
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Mary, thank you very much for my birthday wishes and your appreciation of my poetry. Your “Tapestry” is beautiful, making your fine eye even more appreciated. I look forward to reading more of your poetry. Reply
jd September 4, 2022 Hope you’ve had a Happy Birthday, Susan. Why wouldn’t you? You are doing what you love and best of all, you are excellent at it. All good poems above. I especially love the last. A celebration of the normal. Love “English rose-rodeo>” Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you very much, jd, for your support and your appreciation. I am over the moon to be on a site with so many talented poets – poets who surprise and inspire me and have me reveling in the wonder of and the power of words. The SCP is the perfect place to be with many admirable people on it… people who make me strive to do my best… thank you for being one of them. Reply
Russel Winick September 4, 2022 Susan: Great x 3, of course. I trust you’ve enjoyed your birthday and all the well-deserved comments that you’ve received. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Russel, I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday – thank you! Thank you too for your continued support… especially when I need it most. Reply
Margaret Coats September 5, 2022 Anyone who writes a birthday poem to herself with such adroit placement of alliteration and internal rhymes is not in the least presumptuous. Hope your celebration was sweet and savory! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Margaret, you have made me smile. I couldn’t help myself with the birthday poem. The older I get the more joyful I feel about birthdays. I revel in them and want to spread that joy far and wide. My poem is a quirky song of celebration, and who better to share it with than all the beautiful poets at the SCP… those who appreciate my words to the fullest. Margaret, thank you! Reply
Martin Rizley September 5, 2022 Susan, I can´t add anything to what the others have said; I simply want to add my voice of appreciation to theirs for the poems you are writing that burn like acid through the lies of our age– lies by which the devil is seeking to destroy the foundations of Western Civilization. (We must never forget that he is the mastermind behind these attacks on truth and goodness and the image of God in man– the human promoters of this pandemonium are simply spiritually blind pawns that do his bidding.) The lies being promoted by the Marxist left are so outrageous, so insane, that it is hard to believe the inroads they have made into the culture; but your poems expose the absurdity and diabolical deceit of these lies with a searing sarcasm that burns away the facade of “kindness” that hides a monstrous malevolence. Just before reading your poems, I ran across a talk by Dr. Owen Strachan on YouTube that addresses the need for people in all walks of life to resist these cultural lies that are being promoted by the radical left. I think you will find his message encouraging, if you have time to watch it, given the burden you feel for the way these lies are destroying people´s lives. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdgTd8jIZYo&t=479s Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Martin, you always manage to convey exactly what I aim to do with my words with clarity and eloquence. Thank you very much, indeed. I think that in these days of being bombarded with skewed opinion pieces passed off as “news” there’s an important role to be played by poetry of this nature. It captures in a nutshell all of those emotions many of us feel but don’t want to read or hear a longwinded article about. Literature has always had an impactful effect on me, and it’s works of literature that I remember when I think of the bad, mad world we inhabit today. There is much wisdom and truth in fiction. I believe many historic novelists could write with abandon under the guise of “fiction” – a luxury being stifled for those who do not promote the government’s narrative of today. Thank you for the link to Dr. Owen Strachan’s talk. I will most certainly be watching it. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 6, 2022 Martin, thank you for the link – Mike and I watched this last night and thoroughly recommend it to anyone feeling confused and lost in this increasingly cruel and duplicitous world. I have a great deal of respect for Owen Strachan. I read his book ‘Christianity and Wokeness’ a year or so ago, and it helped me through a most stressful time. If anyone thinks their church feels a little off and isn’t delivering a clear and helpful message, in keeping with God’s Word, this book may be of help. Thanks again, Martin. Reply
Roy E. Peterson September 5, 2022 “In Plain Sight” is such a great title for a poem that demonstrates the degradation of our society and country at the highest levels of power! There is so much truth in your closing line: “The chilling fact we’re willing to ignore.” “Pick Your Pronoun” is a similarly apt commentary on the stupidity prevalent in our present demise as we descend to the doorstep of hell. Happy Birthday indeed to one of our greatest living poets! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Roy, thank you very much indeed! I thoroughly appreciate your encouraging words and your birthday wishes… I am going to make sure my birthday is extended to a week! I am fully aware that the truth is unpalatable and that it hurts. I’m working on getting the bitter, hard-to-swallow truth out there and I’m feeling some burning backlash… very good news indeed! Reply
Cheryl Corey September 5, 2022 All are fabulous, Susan. The first two would make woke heads explode. I envy you your many hummingbirds. Woodpeckers also love the syrup. Happy b. day. 29 and holding? Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Thank you, Cheryl. I can hear those heads exploding… music to this poet’s ear. I adore the hummingbirds. I love woodpeckers too and had no idea they loved syrup. I know squirrels like it. We have a fat and nimble squirrel who does a balancing act Cirque-du-Soleil style for our entertainment. He swings upside down on the feeder supping syrup as his magnificent tail swishes like a ginger feather boa. We get this amazing daily spectacle for free! God’s gifts are the best. Reply
Brian Yapko September 5, 2022 Dear Susan, A trio of Bryant delights, some more piquant than others. Starting with In Plain Sight – brava! You nail so much of what is wrong with what our Leftist overlords seek to ram down the throat of reasonable, grown-up people. I’m especially struck by your observations that “They’re lurking in the sanctuary of the church/They’re sullying the syllabus at schools.” These are the two institutions (other than the family itself) which are the most influential on our young people and both have become centers of Leftist propaganda. That this is where future generations are being indoctrinated is indeed terrifying and, although it contradicts my own “Not the Third Reich” poem (which dealt primarily with accusations against the Right), I’m being forced to conclude that Leftist ideologues have disgustingly stolen whole chapters from Hitler’s playbook. My only challenge to your message is one I think you’ll agree with: “They TRY to skew our speech and snatch our words away.” Well, let them try. They’ll not succeed. The truth has a way of coming out even under the most dire of circumstances, even if it emanates from an underground printing press. And then there’s the biblical take on the issue from Luke: “I tell you if they keep quiet the stones themselves will start shouting.” Of course, I realize that people on this site will not be quieted and that your target audience is the wishy-washy people out there who will not take action. Hopefully your poem will inspire them to do something useful and moral. Pick Your Pronoun is spot-on. I love this poem and think it should be required reading. The tyranny of pronouns is ridiculous – which is part of why I wrote my Birthing Person’s Day poem. But I have to say I howled over Dr. Salemi’s comment “I won’t use these stupid new pronouns for the same reason that I won’t talk to a schizophrenic’s imaginary friend. It’s simply enabling and ratifying someone’s fantasy world.” I’m going to type that brilliant comment up and paste it on my wall because it says what I’ve been thinking but had trouble articulating about the issue. We are endorsing pure psychiatric fantasy when we cooperate in this nonsense. Lastly, although I have already offered my best wishes, let me say a belated Happy Birthday, Susan! I hope you had a wonderful celebration and I hope you know how much the better the world is for your being here. Many happy returns. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Brian, thank you very much. I always appreciate your analyses and your fine eye for detail. I like the “They TRY to skew our speech and snatch our words away.” It’s much more hopeful than mine and (thank goodness) we’ve not reached that stage where we’re ordering the tombstone for free speech yet. We need to indulge in this right more than ever these days… we cannot watch on the sidelines as speech breathes its final breath. I do realize “the people on this site will not be quieted” and I am heartened by this. I’ve been on this magnificent site for three years and my word is being heard in dark and distant quarters… unrest is afoot, which means the truth is out. ‘Pick Your Pronoun’ is my favorite. This is where the wickedness begins… and this is where I’d like it to end. If anyone thinks it’s harmless to buy into the let’s make the kids feel safe and normal spiel, preferred pronouns lead to lists, psychiatric assessments, hormone blockers, and surgery… all before children have had a chance to work out what adult life, love and sex is all about. I’m glad many are beginning to see the bigger picture. Brian, thank you for my birthday wishes and your kind words. Dealing in the immutable truth isn’t easy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way… and I know you feel the same. Reply
Jeff Kemper September 5, 2022 Happy birthday, British Texan! I hope you like bluegrass music; at its best it’s hardly bettered by any folk music available, in my opinion. On your poems . . . besides the sheer joy of reading excellent poetry, there’s nothing left to say! I often wonder whether 50 or 100 years from now people will look back on these times laughing at the silly but horrifying stupidity into which our society has sunk? Or will they wonder why it took so long for humanity to recognize the “truth”? I hope it’s not the latter. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Jeff, it’s lovely to hear from you, and thank you very much! I am proud to be a British Texan. I had never heard of bluegrass music before I came here, and I am now a fan… a huge fan. Thank you very much for your appreciation of my poetry. Your words mean a lot. I’m hoping, with a bit of boldness and bravery from all those who know better than the government and their appointed and well-paid “experts” we will pull through this ugly piece of history with our integrity intact. I am ever the optimist and will do my little bit to be the voice of reason in an insane world. I thoroughly appreciate your encouragement. Who knows, poetry may make a difference. Reply
Yael September 5, 2022 Happy Birthday Susan! It’s always a joy to read your poetry, thank you for sharing. I’m looking forward to many more good years and poems of yours. Cheers:) Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 5, 2022 Yael, thank you very much for my birthday wishes, your kind and wise words, and your support and encouragement. Your words are a golden ray of hope bursting through the insidious idiocy and insanity of this wicked world today. More poems are on their way… I refuse to be silenced by berks of little brain. 🙂 Reply
Janice Canerdy September 6, 2022 Great poems. To the message in “Pick Your Pronouns,” I say a loud “AMEN”! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 8, 2022 Thank you very much, Janice. I thoroughly appreciate your kind words. Reply
David Watt September 7, 2022 Happy birthday Susan from a fellow September child. The accompanying photo is horribly appropriate, but your poems are great. David Watt grey/slim Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant September 8, 2022 Yay!! A fellow September child… what a beautiful month to be born in. I always appreciate your encouragement. Thank you for your lovely words, and a very happy birthday to you too! I’m celebrating for the entire month… birthdays get more important to me the older I get… and I love to revel in the joys of life despite its numerous problems. Reply
