.

Gaslighted

Our friendship limped along for thirty years.
I can’t say why. The scornful views you’d share
Instilled resentment, anger, even tears.
Your condescending words. Your cutting glare.
“Why can’t conservatives just come to grips
With facts? You stooges of the Right are cruel;
Your policies will bring Apocalypse.
If you vote Red then you’re a selfish fool.”

They say that men of character adapt.
That it’s the mad who force destructive change.
That’s you. Your skewed debates made me feel trapped
As you cursed all that’s sane and called it strange.
Manipulation always was your way—
A cinematic skill which left me singed.
It’s “Gaslight” where the cruel Charles Boyer
Made Ingrid Bergman think she was unhinged.

“We Democrats alone know bad from good.
We’d never push young children to be trans.
The Squad loves Jews. We never, ever would
Defund police or push harsh covid bans!
And how are things in Hicksville where the Right
Burns books, kills hope and poisons all that’s free?
What warped respect for Trump would make you fight
Against what’s left of our democracy?”

I’d argue when you said such awful things.
You’d call me dim. You’d say I couldn’t see.
Not true. I see the way you pulled my strings,
To gaslight me, to twist reality.
Well, thirty years but not one second more
Of being lied to, ridiculed and mocked.
To see you plain now jolts me to my core.
We’re done, my one-time friend. Your number’s blocked.

.

.

With the Stroke of a Pen

inspired by Puffin’s decision to posthumously alter
language and character points in the collected
works of Roald Dahl.

Change Dickens’ book to “Lowered Expectations.”
Let Gatsby take up racing cars with Daisy.
Redact “Rome” out of Cicero’s orations;
Have therapy keep Lear from going crazy.

Rewrite Rhett Butler so he gives a damn.
Let Hester’s “A” get raised to an “A-plus.”
Let Anna and the King both rule Siam.
Have Tiny Tim learn how to smoke and cuss.

Let self-help books curb Ahab’s whale obsession.
As Dido and Aeneas finally marry,
Boo Radley takes up acting by profession
And Don Juan vows to join a monastery.

Let Dracula resign from the undead.
Let Prufrock eat his peach and stop debating.
Let Crusoe build a tropical Club Med
Where Hamlet and Horatio start dating.

If we rewrite whatever strikes our whim
I guarantee we’ll never end up friendless.
With care to shun the pronouns “her” and “him”
The novel possibilities are endless.

I wonder, though, what if the latest trend
Is hatred toward Asians, Blacks or Jews
Or Christians whom mobs cancel or unfriend?
Can editors redact us if they choose?

Rewrite the past and we debase ourselves.
Our history, mistakes, all that we’ve learned
Are etched and bound in books preserved on shelves.
To maim them…? Well, they might as well be burned.

.

.

Brian Yapko is a lawyer who also writes poetry. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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20 Responses

  1. jd

    Enjoyed both very much, Brian, especially, “With the Stroke of a Pen” which is so true and makes its point in such clear and rhythmic terms. I have no doubt the author would prefer “burning” to changing his own words. How was it even allowed? Silly question in our present culture.

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thank you very much, jd. Speaking just for myself, if I thought that anyone, anywhere could change my poems or stories to suit his or her own agenda — especially one inimical to my values — I’d rather see my work burned. I write because I want MY thoughts expressed. And if editing is required, fine. But in that case I give my consent, which makes all the difference in the world.

      Funny that most people would never presume to make alterations to someone else’s paintings or sculptures.

      Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    These two poems are marvelous slams on retrogressive social, political, and historical issues confronting all of us regarding the deconstruction of books and movies along with illogical lies and replacing them with inane and insane contemporary counter-culture views. I applaud the deft manner in which you lampoon these trends that are now being aided with Artificial Intelligence. I just read that AI has been used to rewrite the Bible so that Abraham did not sacrifice the ram as a replacement for his son and another rewrite that is making everything feminine. The conclusions in both poems are apt, the first as far as blocking, and the second of burning books leaving only the misguided antithetical revisions. My suggestion is for us to burn the countervailing books and those that produce them (well at least singe them!)

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thank you very much, Roy. Yes, Artificial Intelligence is indeed a threatening specter. However, degenerate humans are even more so. You mentioned those rewrites of the Bible. I’m still reeling from Denmark’s rewriting of the Bible so that it eliminates the name/word “Israel” from the book, notwithstanding the fact that the Bible is essentially the story of the People of Israel. I like your idea of burning the countervailing books since they are basically articles of literary fraud which have no standing. There is no reason to protect or preserve them.

      Reply
  3. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Brian, these two magnificent poems are a linguistic tonic for the weary soul worn down by today’s relentless barrage of lies and idiocy. I am certain many will relate to ‘Gaslighted’ – a cruel, mind-twisting technique employed to the full of late. Your seemingly effortless conversational tone creates an immediate intimacy between the narrator and the reader giving lines like, my favorite – “A cinematic skill which left me singed,” huge impact. This line is a superb nod to the must-see movie. The closing line is perfect, just perfect… for its cool delivery and the wisdom within its words.

    The poems are beautifully paired – “With the Stroke of a Pen” shows us exactly how our minds are being manipulated at every turn by those with an agenda… even classic literature isn’t safe from their aim to rewrite history (literally) with the intent of gaslighting generations to come with a warped vision of humanity. Your imagination and creative skills work beautifully together to come up with some hilarious outcomes of this skullduggery. I’m still giggling at the thought of Don Juan joining a monastery and Prufrock’s silent mouth savoring a peach. The hilarity doesn’t detract from the insidious idiocy of these times, and your closing line says so… perfectly.

    Brian, thank you for being a powerful voice of reason rising above this insane cacophony.

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thank you so much, Susan! Cacophony is right as we are inundated by insanity from so many different directions and on so many subjects it’s difficult not to lose one’s mind! I’m very grateful for your keen eye regarding the conversational tone in “Gaslighted” which took some real tinkering as I tried to figure out whether to aim for a dialogue, simple quotes or whatever. Effortless is seldom effortless. Ultimately it turned into this eruption of frustration at every bonkers thing that liberals claim and accuse. I could have gone on for a few more stanzas with the disingenuous leftist version of “Who, me? Why would you ever think I would do such a thing…?” But the more I wrote, the more I got a sour stomach.

      I’m delighted that you enjoyed “With a Stroke of a Pen” as I had great fun writing it. This is another one where I actually had several additional stanzas and had to pare them down. Evan rightly also suggested eliminating two boring introductory stanzas and just jumping into the Dickens. I’m especially glad you liked Don Juan and Prufrock. My personal favorite is the slightly off-color image of Hester’s “A” getting raised to an “A-plus” which has the subtext of purporting to cater to leftist sexual immorality. But I have to admit that Hamlet and Horatio as a couple also struck me as irresistible. Horatio always did strike me as having an unwholesome attachment to the tragic Danish prince. But I digress. Suffice it to say that I hope to make people giggle while perhaps considering how fragile a thing it is (and vitally important!) to preserve history.

      Reply
  4. Mark Stellinga

    Brian, even without knowing who some of the characters are, the point you brilliantly make in “Gaslighted” is both nostalgic and current at the same time. More and more relationships are being severely diluted or even destroyed by opposing ideologies. A lot of ‘#-blocking’ going on these days! And I can only imagine how lucrative the black market sales of *original books* will quickly become. Two more fine pieces, as expected.

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thank you very much, Mark! My story about a severed friendship is a true one and I know of many others first-hand. Relationships — especially family relationships — have taken a back-seat to ideology. At least that seems to be an essential aspect of the leftist playbook. Conservatives seem to care deeply about family. Leftists not so much. As for the second part of your comment — I had not thought of a black market in “original books.” What a horrifying thought, but what a great idea for a poem or short story…

      Reply
  5. Joseph S. Salemi

    The technique of gaslighting has become so common today that it is now standard procedure when left-liberals argue with anyone. They’ll say “You mean you actually believe that there are only two sexes? ARE YOU CRAZY?!?” Or they’ll say “You claim a trans woman is not a real woman? ARE YOU CRAZY?!?” The entire rhetorical point is to make an opponent doubt his senses, and feel uncomfortable.

    There is only one possible response to gaslighting of this type. Simply say “No — YOU’RE THE ONE WHO IS CRAZY! You’re an ideological freak who is spouting absurdities!”

    Do it loudly, forcefully, and preferably in public.

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thank you for this commentary, Joe, which nails the toxic dynamic of trying to argue with a leftist. I’m convinced that the paradigm they operate under is so completely different from the paradigm that we operate under that when we engage with them we are almost literally speaking different languages. I can’t count the number of times I’ve felt like I was speaking with someone who was literally in a parallel universe. There are just enough reference points in common to present the illusion that we’re talking about the same thing, but the fact is we’re not. The result is then the odd feeling of being manipulated, conned or to question one’s own sanity and perceptions. Until you finally realize that it’s them, not you. I think most leftists are so invested in their narrative that they don’t even realize they are in fact gaslighting those who don’t agree with them. Your solution — to call them on it and let them know that they’re the ones who are crazy — seems to be the only possible one. Bridge-burning, perhaps, but necessary. You can’t educate someone out of a parallel universe or out of a false paradigm which has some points of validity. Such people are too invested in their narrative.

      Reply
  6. Paul Erlandson

    These are both great, Brian!

    After re-reading, I think I enjoy “With the Stroke of a Pen” even more than “Gaslighted.” But I’m very thankful for both. Believe it or not, this is the first time anyone has explained to me the origin of the term “Gaslighting”!

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thank you very much, Paul. It’s interesting to see how terms develop out of the most unexpected sources. “Gaslight” is actually an excellent picture from 1944 or so. Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman star, but it also features a very young Angela Lansbury in what I believe is her first film.

      Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    Brian, your stellar clarity, with your creative attention to each line as line, make both these poems readable and approachable, even though both are stuffed with allusive wording that might perplex a general reader. “Gaslighting” is less so for the conservatives who are the probable audience, but I will say how glad I am you wrote it, because some of them (victims of the practice) need an explanation of the term “gaslighting.” They aren’t movie buffs!

    “With the Stroke of a Pen” ends with an admirable wisdom stanza. As Chaucer said, “And if that olde bokes weren aweye, Yloren were of remembraunce the keye.” It is interesting that he says so in the prologue to his Legend of Good Women, where he collected and re-told stories of virtuous women in the past, to counteract a trend current at his time of vilifying the female sex, by telling tales of infidelity and other vices. We do need that best record of “Our history, mistakes, all that we’ve learned.”

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thank you very much indeed, Margaret. “Gaslighting” is a terrible form of manipulation (are there any good kinds?) which literally makes a person feel like there’s something wrong with him or her. My poem is, of course, meant for the benefit of conservatives but is 100% autobiographical and, I believe, a fair description of a casual friendship I maintained with a man who was quite liberal. He is in his 80s now, and I’m in my early 60s. When we first met in 1990 or so, he was more conservative than he is now and I was far more liberal. Liberals and conservatives were far closer in those days and we had far more in common. But as the world grew more and more insane and polarized, he went left and I went right. And now there’s no point of intersection at all. This seems to be an increasingly common (albeit deeply sad) phenomenon.

      I appreciate your praise of “With the Stroke of a Pen” which, despite its light touch, aspires to stress the importance of accurately recording our history, including our literature. Wisdom? I hope so. It’s fascinating to know that similar issues existed in the late 14th Century (i.e., the wrongful attempt to artificially manufacture a form of social justice by invoking vilification and defamation) and that even then propaganda had to be met with counterbalancing literary measures.

      Reply
  8. Julian D. Woodruff

    Great, Brian, especially the 2nd–a riot!
    Yes, let’s retouch, not burn offending books. Hawthorne has shown us just how bad that looks!
    We’ll cancel with finesse,
    not make a smokey mess.

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thank you so much, Julian! Great couplet! My first choice would be neither cancelling nor the smoky mess! As for my poem… I really did have fun writing “With the Stroke of a Pen.” Reimaging literature for comedic effect is a staple of satire and even situation comedy. But when Carol Burnett presents “Went with the Wind” to get a few laughs, no one would ever confuse that with a rewrite of “Gone with the Wind”!

      Reply
  9. Joshua C. Frank

    These are great… and timely given the fight in the comments section of Susan’s poem about Target!

    “Gaslighted:” You’ve described pretty much every liberal with whom I’ve had the misfortune to speak. Somehow, their way is the right way, and our facts are anything but. Then there are the ones who say all the tactics you mention are good when liberals use them, but evil when anyone else does. I can’t imagine how the speaker and his opponent (I always assume that the speaker is the same sex as the poet until proven otherwise) managed to stay friends for thirty years; liberals attack me the moment they know I’m not one of them.

    “With the Stroke of a Pen:” The examples are very amusing… but the reality underscored by the poem is just awful. I love the line “Let Hester’s “A” get raised to an ‘A-plus.’” That’s modern culture in a single sentence. Whatever is bad, they call good, and vice versa. If we ever lost access to the Bible, we could determine right and wrong by looking at what liberals call right and wrong, and then going with the exact opposite.

    Like others here, I’d rather see all those books burned than bowdlerized. I’ll need to buy paper copies of my favorite classics before the left mangles them too.

    Fortunately, being poets, we have all the stories we could need or want.

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thank you so much, Josh! I hoped you would enjoy these and am pleased that hope was fulfilled! Yes, “Gaslighted” does indeed address many a situation of painful political discourse in which, as I mentioned to Dr. Salemi, it feels as if our opponents are in parallel universes. And as I explained to Margaret, my opponent in this fully autobiographical poem was indeed a man who I have known since approximately 1990. You’re spot on accurate when you mention the fact that leftists believe anything goes in discourse — so long as it’s in the service of their position. The end justifies the means, right? But Heaven help you if you try to use their tactics to promote conservative views! We shouldn’t need any such tactics when we are on the right side of the issues. But when we are silenced, ostracized, marginalized and ruined in every Maoist way they can get away with, we cannot afford to eschew any opportunity to speak the truth. As I said in a poem last summer, praise the Lord — and pass the ammunition.

      As for Hester… I’m so tickled that you not only got the reference to The Scarlet Letter but the full implication of her adultery being rewritten so as to be an aggrandized virtue! Almost anything that we have historically considered bad or marginal will be promoted or celebrated by someone. Anything is possible and permissible in an aggressively atheist world where colliding molecules have literally no meaning or value.

      Reply
  10. C.B. Anderson

    Wow! I can’t argue with any of this, and I wouldn’t want to.

    Reply
    • Brian A Yapko

      Thanks for commenting, C.B. I’m glad we’re on the same side!

      Reply

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