WEF logo and tagline‘Philanthropaths & Puppets’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant The Society March 6, 2024 Culture, Poetry 30 Comments . Philanthropaths & Puppets Philanthropath: a psychopath masquerading as a philanthropist. —the Urban Dictionary . I. So Rose the Puppeteer He pulls the strings of those his treasures bless— They grovel in the grip of this foul fiend. He’s conjured chaos, stirred up strife and schemed To ruin all the Western world esteemed. He steers the politicians and the press— He pulls the strings of those his treasures bless. He fuels and fans the searing flare of stress That rises ever higher by the day. His dirty dollar paves the wicked way For curs to traffic death and human prey. He sullies all that’s pure to gain success. He pulls the strings of those his treasures bless. His marionettes assist his lawlessness— They’re paid to keep the streets replete with crime. He parties in the gutters slick with slime While toasting thugs who never serve their time. He wins when morals melt and life’s a mess. He pulls the strings of those his treasures bless. This odious golden goose of evil bent Exudes the sulfurous stench of vile intent. . II. Gates of Hell We hear him claim he cares for humankind. He has a wily aim, a ghoulish goal. He plays a smiley messianic role— This savior’s out to trick the trusting soul. While pumping poison through the heart and mind We hear him claim he cares for humankind. He aches to make this oafish globe refined, To skim the scum and wipe the dumb from sight, To spike the vein and bake the brain in fright— Depopulation is his guiding light. That’s why he’s keen to leave the truth behind When claiming that he cares for humankind. When greener deals with sharks and shills are signed, He steals the people’s wheels and meals and joy. He has a meaty money-making ploy— Sham Frankenham from bullshit, spit and soy. He cons, connives and robs the masses blind While claiming that he cares for humankind. This barbarous sugar-baddy of ill creed Ensures his killer deeds are guaranteed. . III. Puppets Marionettes maneuvered by their master Bounce and bend and bow and bob in time To devastating dirges of disaster Sung from scripts the wooden choirs mime. Their tune is full of fuss and fear and sorrow— That woeful, worn-out score we’ve heard before. It plays today. It will again tomorrow. It bores through badgered brains until they’re sore. They dance us through the perils of the planet. They point out all the traitors we can trust— Those rats who tax our liberty then ban it. These dummies tell us all is jolly just. Dependent on a cash-cow puppeteer They’re steered throughout their treasonous career. . . 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. 30 Responses Daniel Kemper March 6, 2024 As always, so much goodness to work with. I feel a bit like a mosquito at a nudist colony: I’m not sure where to start! Let me focus on one thing: When greener deals with sharks and shills are signed, He steals the people’s wheels and meals and joy. He has a meaty money-making ploy— Sham Frankenham from bullshit, spit and soy. He cons, connives and robs the masses blind While claiming that he cares for humankind. Greener deals–here in CA, where more public forest has been lost through fire due to “green” policies, the irony is so high it’s toxic. And perfectly radioactive when “Global warming/climate change” is invoked since private forests have had none of the excessive fires. Wheels–saw a great 5 min blurb: Representative from MN. where Nickel mines have been shuttered (among others), while Dems buy from DPR Congo’s child slave labor, complete lack of environmental standards, and CCP ownership, grilled Buttigieg over it. Meals & meat– the belief (I think well-founded) that meat eaters are more energetic and independent is the source for the assault on it, despite the claims of resource disparity. Assault on food in general… Marxists loves them some Holodomor’s… Thanks for the well-crafted Jeremiad, needed and entertaining. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Daniel, I am laughing at your opening statement, and loving it at the same time. It’s wonderful to write for readers who relish the wonder and the power of poetry. I am glad my words have prompted a discussion on subjects that are shut down elsewhere (thank you, Evan). The depth of depravity those who are in current control are willing to sink to takes my breath away, and your contribution to the discussion enforces all my poetry conveys. Thank you very much for highlighting the horrors of our age. I believe knowledge is power. We’re never going to get knowledge from the nightly news. I also believe that the fine-tooth-combed search for life’s raison d’être starts with literature… of the pre-modernist variety. Reply Joseph S. Salemi March 6, 2024 Centuries from now, the poems of Susan Jarvis Bryant will be remembered and studied as precious windows into the bloodsucking insanity of a WEF-ruled world. If the human race is lucky, by that time all of these WEF philanthropaths will have been shot and shoveled into lime pits. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Joe, thank you very much for your continued encouragement. I remember Brian saying something along the lines of poetry bearing witness. I really hope the words of all those writers, metaphorically tarred and feathered and dragged through cyberspace for deviating from the “new normal”, will have their collective say one day… that’s if a nuclear explosion doesn’t blow us all to smithereens anytime soon. The WEF have a lot to answer for… and we’ve only felt the tip of their spear. Reply Clive Roland Boddy March 6, 2024 Very nicely crafted as usual Susan. Presumably philanthropaths are those corporate and political psychopaths who present a mask of sanity and normalcy, to distract attention from what they are really up to? Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Clive, thank you for your appreciation – and yes, I believe you are spot on with your observations. I do, however, detect the mask slipping bit by bit as time goes on. I fear that by the time they are revealed for who they are and what they want… they would already have reached their goal at our expense. What a pessimist I’m becoming. Reply Roy Eugene Peterson March 6, 2024 These are among your most important political pronouncements couched in covered, but not so subtle, disguised double entrendre and metaphors galore. As we approach further repressions of speech, such writing methods will become critical to righteous and correctly thinking free writers. Dr. Salemi is right. These not only are arrows piercing their targets now, but also are for future generations to understand the calumny of the present body politic. Fantastic concepts and delivery of classical poetry. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Roy, I thank you wholeheartedly for your encouraging comment and appreciation of my work. The thought that saddens me is that we have been warned by history – many, many times. It seems these days our past battles with evil for survival have been torn up and rewritten. Let’s hope attitudes change with our changing times. Reply Phil S. Rogers March 6, 2024 Exudes the sulfurous stench of vile intent. A perfect description of the dribble which comes from the condescending mouths of the WEF elite. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Phil, thank you very much for reading and for commenting. I enjoyed writing that line… I smell sulfur and BS wafting on the wind regularly these days. Reply Stephen M. Dickey March 6, 2024 Susan, this is a very fine piece. I would second Roy’s opinion above. I am coming to appreciate more and more poems like this with extended metaphors. Thanks for that. Last but not least, I really liked “sugar-baddy” as a counterpart to “philanthropath”. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Stephen, thank you very much for reading and for commenting. I’m glad you liked my “sugar-baddy”… I will admit to grinning when I came up with that one. It popped into my head and seemed to fit. Your appreciation says it does, and I’m over the moon. Reply C.B. Anderson March 6, 2024 This opus might stand as a condensation of everything you have heretofore published in this vein. You see it all, and you say it all. You make “pissed-off” seem like a mild reaction to a minor irritant. You will never know, Susan, how glad I am that we are on the same side. It is odd, however, that a Brit has come across the Pond to salvage the U.S.A. Keep the faith. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 C.B., I have grown to love the history and the people of my new home, and your wonderful comment makes it so much easier to keep the faith. I just love your “pissed off” remark. I might ear-mark it for my epitaph: “SJB made “pissed-off” seem like a mild reaction to a minor irritant” sounds mighty Texan and most fitting. Reply Cynthia Erlandson March 6, 2024 I second the above comments, and greatly appreciate the talent you have to express these things so clearly and strongly. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Cynthia, I thoroughly appreciate your kind words. I am so glad my message is clear. Meaning can often get lost in the linguistic embellishments. I always strive to put meaning before all the frilly bits I love… and don’t always succeed. You have made me smile. Reply Drilon Bajrami March 6, 2024 The WEF has always seemed to me a forum of evil. I think your poems perfectly describe the “philanthropaths” (quite the pithy term), which, no doubt, will be in great attendance at the WEF. The “He pulls the strings of those his treasures bless” refrain was especially powerful. I’ve yet to read a poem of yours, Susan, that is anything other than outstanding. I hope you continue to bless us with even more. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Drilon, thank you so very much for your wonderful words of appreciation and encouragement. I love the line you’ve picked out… what a crying shame that morally challenged masters of the universe are able to pull the strings of those their treasures bless, all too easily. If only…. Reply Mike Bryant March 7, 2024 Scott Adams is an excellent author and the cartoonist who brought us “Dilbert.” He has spent his life trying to understand office politics and politics so he could lampoon them in his comic strip and explain them in his books. He doesn’t seem particularly political but he did predict Trump’s 2016 win. He has had three or four very tough years, that are documented on his regular podcast. He has also had a kind of awakening. He recently posted this simple list to let us know which level of awareness we have about politics. Levels of Awareness in politics: Level 1 They believe what their preferred news say and do not sample other sources. Not aware of counter arguments. Not aware their news is mostly narrative. Level 2 Sample news from multiple sources but believe only their own sources are accurate. Think the other side is all narrative, but familiar with all sides of issues. Level 3 Aware that ALL news is fake, at least in the sense of missing context and spin. Also known as Gell-Mann Amnesia. But still believe the experts in various fields are usually correct. Level 4 Understand that NONE of our experts are reliable. Some might be right, not none can be trusted without verification. The distortion of money makes no expert credible. Level 5 They see the gears of the machine, Mike Benz style. The Republic no longer looks like whatever the Founders intended. The control of powerful billionaires and intelligence professionals is now obvious. Level 6 You are dead because you know too much. Also known as Epstein Level. Scott Adams If you’d like to post your score… great! I’m hoping I don’t see any sixes… I’m allergic to ghosts. Reply Brian A. Yapko March 7, 2024 Susan, where do I even begin with these three poetic nuclear bombs? I like what C.B. has said about these being a distillation – or, in terms I better recognize – an almost lawyerly summation of the case. And I like what Dr. Salemi has said – how centuries from now people will be reading your work as a window into today’s social and political corruption and depravity. I concur. I also believe that these are among your best work. I will paraphrase from Hamlet. “Many palpable hits.” The forms you work with in the first two poems appear to be a nonce form inspired (inspired, perhaps, by your favorite form the rondeau redouble?): abbbaa, acccaa, adddaa, ee. This is as demanding as a rondeau redouble and yet feels less stilted. Your use of disciplined rhymes which repeat like a drumbeat coupled with repetends in some unexpected places really get your message home. But then you end with a Shakespearian sonnet. It’s an interesting choice to do so as at first glance it lacks the drama of the first two poems. But what it lacks in drama, it makes up for in detached clarity. It also offers a nod to tradition. It is as if your trio of poems were offered by a lawyer describing the evidence. Ending with a sonnet is like a summation and a respectful bow to the jury indicating that this particular speech is done. And what a speech! No one has yet mentioned him, but the first name that popped into my head as your puppeteer is George Soros, who I believe to be the incarnation of all that is evil with our world as he spends unbelievable sums of money on promoting corruptly liberal D.A.s , funds the political careers of leftist hacks, promotes the disruptive activities of Hamassholes (I learned this term from The David Rubin Show) and otherwise acts as the puppeteer most likely to destroy Western Civilization. But, of course, the depth of your poem is such that the philanthropath(s) you describe could be any number of vile and wealthy social engineers, from the leaders of Qatar, to the leadership of Disney, to Bill Gates. Pick your poison. I have more I’d like to say and just don’t have the time at the moment. So much to savor in the phrasing and images presented in your trio. Perhaps I’ll be able to write more anon. In the meantime, I must end with this: The overwhelming image conjured for me by three poems for me is Screwtape mentoring Wormwood into how to destroy the human spirit, tear Man away from God, and win yet another soul or two for Hell. You are a master at throwing a sharp spotlight on all that evil is and does. C. S. Lewis would be so proud of you. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 8, 2024 Brian, I thoroughly appreciate your astute, appreciative, and encouraging comment. To have your lawyer’s eye observe “an almost lawyerly summation of the case” is high praise indeed. I wanted to say it as it is… poetically, and your words have made my efforts thoroughly worthwhile. The form was carefully considered. I am a great fan of nonce forms used to create an atmosphere and I especially like repetition to get grave points across. I needed a zoom lens of a form to focus in on those philanthropaths, and this seemed to work. A sonnet for the puppets seemed most appropriate. I wanted more of a conversational piece… a matter-of-fact observation that talks of all the things in society causing anxiety with a seen-it-all-before ease that shows up those puppets for exactly who they are… puppets. It’s a shame they are so willing to go along with this evil charade instead of speaking out against it with vehemence. Sadly, history dictates our fate. but many won’t heed the warnings because history is being rewritten and dismantled daily. I wanted my philanthropath poems to represent anyone and everyone who wants to invest in the destruction of the Western culture at the people’s expense with a template in mind. The sad thing is, without puppets the plan to destroy our civilization as we know it would fade away into oblivion. Fear is the big driving force behind it. When fear of losing one’s livelihood, one’s healthcare (laughable in these post Covid days), and all the trappings that make living in the Western world so comfortable, is a factor… being a puppet is on the cards. The thing I fear is how far puppets are willing to go before they think it’s too far. That’s where my fear lies. Brian, your closing paragraph has caused tears of joy to prick the back of my eyes… I’ll carry your closing sentence in my heart. Thank you! Reply Margaret Coats March 8, 2024 Susan, I’ve given this complex poem the several readings it deserves, and only now do I feel I have come to an adequate understanding. Perhaps I was thrown off by the illustration’s suggestion that the World Economic Forum is the subject. As you say in your reply to Brian, the much broader subject is “anyone and everyone who wants to invest in the destruction of Western culture at the people’s expense with a template in mind.” But that still begs the question of who is he, the singular individual whose concerns are detailed in the first and second sections of the poem. Like Brian, I thought of Soros but, frankly, I’ve had enough of Soros bashing. He is an important mammonist, but there are many more, and when one dies, another takes his place. Therefore, I will take literally your identification of your “he” as a “foul fiend.” There are many devils in hell, one of whom may step up as the zeitgeist of an age, and I think the most appropriate name here is Mammon. And the word “mammonist” that I just used for one of his favored disciples (“those his treasures bless”) is established if rare in English. It could be more used to refer to persons who deify wealth and use riches for an evil purpose. There have always been such mammonists, but I think your specification of your subjects as doing so “with a template,” which implies “in coordination,” has become more meaningful and noticeable in the present era. The one word that did not seem to fit with my reading was “depopulation” in the “Gates of Hell” section. It is quite true that mammonists today ache for depopulation, and that this belies their supposed care for humankind. But Mammon the devil does not care about his mammonists’ fear that their wealth might be endangered by overpopulation of the earth. He would want to increase the number of souls entering hell’s gates and, again, this takes some thought to interpret. Devils favor depopulation measures because these increase the number and gravity of sins, and thus offend God more. And although fewer human beings means fewer potential slaves, depopulation ensures that the fate of more of them is secured faster. Finally, the foul fiends cannot create souls, but only corrupt the ones created by God, so they are willing to bargain for whatever seems to bring the greatest percentage to hell, just as businessmen go for the greater market share. As you can see, my interpretation of your poem turns even philanthropaths into puppets of a higher evil power. They have their own puppets on a lesser level. I’m glad you used “marionettes,” because the only marionette performance I’ve seen (in Austria) used rather large figures, some of which (to the great amusement of the audience) themselves operated smaller marionettes AND a puppet to conclude the show. Demonstrates how mammonism with its puppets descends into and corrupts charities that formerly provided real help to needy people. Music was an essential part of the performance I saw, and this to me corresponds exactly with your “Puppet” sonnet relying on images of song and dance–as well as your own frequent ending technique referring in some way to song. Your nonce form belongs, I would say, to the ballade family. In the first two portions, the three stanzas with refrain and envoi-like summary necessarily recall the ballade. Six-line stanzas and couplet envois are extremely rare, but they do occur, though usually not in the same poem. What might make your form nonce is the refrain not appearing as final line of the couplet–but even that has precedents. Rather, the combination of a sort of double ballade (each with its own envoi) with a sonnet in a short lyric sequence is a unique form for a single work. Excellent effort to deal with an enormous topic! It made me think of a book that did something similar not long ago with regard to the secular state. The volume had 650 pages plus a 20-page bibliography. Reply Joseph S. Salemi March 8, 2024 When Susan speaks of a “template” I think she means a fixed idea, an ideological construct, or a fetishized Categorical Imperative. Such things are very likely demonic in origin, but they can also be explained as a natural manifestation of that most evil of human tendencies: the desire to control and dominate other persons. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 8, 2024 Exactly. Thank you, Joe. Susan Jarvis Bryant March 8, 2024 Margaret, thank you for your close reading and your detailed analysis. I am grateful for the time you have taken. My relationship with poetry is a simple one. I love poetry for its brevity, its musicality, and the freedom it gives me to explore subjects in ways a detailed study doesn’t. It allows me to capture a mood, a feeling, the essence of something without pinning it down, dissecting and shining a spotlight on its every mystery. I like poetry that leaves a little something to the imagination. I didn’t want to reveal every meaning in every line… as I said, I like to create a feel. You are right about Soros… the clue is in the title – “Soros-e the Puppeteer”, just as Bill appears in “Gates of Hell”. As for your “frankly, I’ve had enough of Soros bashing. He is an important mammonist, but there are many more, and when one dies, another takes his place” – I am sorry to disappoint you with yet more Soros bashing. I hold Gates and Soros up as philanthropathic ideals – charlatans of our time (that’s why I chose them) pretending to cure society’s ills while killing the Western world instead. Soros’ love of money is the least of our worries. It’s what he and his ilk are doing with it that needs to be brought to public attention. That’s why some prefer to look the other way… it’s so much easier to think the donations their institutions depend upon to “heal” the world are funded by a philanthropist not a psychopath. Many have had enough of the subject of Soros and Gates, just as they are sick of hearing about the evils of our current pope. Oh, the irony. When the truth is out… how tiresome it is to have to deal with it. We are a stiff-necked people! I like your “As you can see, my interpretation of your poem turns even philanthropaths into puppets of a higher evil power. They have their own puppets on a lesser level.” – I agree wholeheartedly. BUT all of us have the power to make our own choices. Perhaps it’s time for every puppet (philanthropath and otherwise) to cut the strings before the reckoning. Reply Mike Bryant March 8, 2024 Susan, this trio of poems is beautiful and truthful. As for depopulation, it is the greatest commandment of the Malthusians who started the Club of Rome. I am convinced that the WEF is simply the successor of the Club of Rome. Kudos to Evan for the illustration that states, “…Improving the State of the World.” Note there is nothing about the PEOPLE of the world. That is, of course, because WE are simply the infestation that makes their impossible utopian goals even more difficult. As for depopulation, I believe that the good old USA is, and has been, their laboratory for all things depopulation targeted. Don’t believe it? Take a look at the first graph in this article: https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-life-expectancy-compare-countries/#Life%20expectancy%20at%20birth,%20in%20years,%201980-2022 It’s a comparison of the USA to comparable countries. We’ve been on the hind tit of life expectancy since 1980! Then take a look at the huge dip in 2020, 2021. The philanthropaths ARE getting there. Don’t worry they are well on the way to bringing the rest of the world down to our level. Everything that works here is sold to the rest of the civilized world. Also, if these are the graphs that we are allowed to see… how bad is it really? I think climate lockdowns, along with net zero, will be much more effective than the scamdemic. We need to get more Soros non-Prosecutors into office. There are not nearly enough murderers roaming the streets yet. Also we need to get far, far more vaccinations, diseases and hospital protocols out there. This is all so inconvenient to think about though… just carry on as usual. A Philanthropath Utopia is in sight! Reply Norma Pain March 9, 2024 Thank you for these three poems Susan. They speak the truth that so many are not willing to look at or contemplate. Just getting along with their lives as if nothing is at stake here. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 9, 2024 Norma, thank you so very much for reading my poetry and for your astute observation. The evils of our society have never been more in-your-face evident, yet all we hear is crickets. I have a feeling those crickets will be going the way of the dodo soon, but not because they taste like bacon. I apologize for my warped humor – it helps me keep a relatively sane eye on things. Reply James Sale March 11, 2024 Wonderful stuff again, Susan – so memorable so many of the lines: ‘Sham Frankenham from bullshit, spit and soy.’ – very, very ingenious and packed with punch. That is exactly why, of course, this is not being taught in schools or at undergraduate level – people want formless poems that endlessly iterate – or seem like – their own unfocused angst and emotional drivel. To start to stop thinking about yourself and start understanding what is going on all around us requires serious effort despite all the fun of your verses and forms. But as Joe says, in the future we can but hope another generation might come to enjoy these searing indictments of yours. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant March 12, 2024 James, I thoroughly appreciate your enthusiasm for my poetry and your encouragement. I am especially humbled by your observation: “To start to stop thinking about yourself and start understanding what is going on all around us requires serious effort” – it does and the truth is shocking. James, your words equally apply to HellWard and StairWell. Thank you for your inspiration! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Daniel Kemper March 6, 2024 As always, so much goodness to work with. I feel a bit like a mosquito at a nudist colony: I’m not sure where to start! Let me focus on one thing: When greener deals with sharks and shills are signed, He steals the people’s wheels and meals and joy. He has a meaty money-making ploy— Sham Frankenham from bullshit, spit and soy. He cons, connives and robs the masses blind While claiming that he cares for humankind. Greener deals–here in CA, where more public forest has been lost through fire due to “green” policies, the irony is so high it’s toxic. And perfectly radioactive when “Global warming/climate change” is invoked since private forests have had none of the excessive fires. Wheels–saw a great 5 min blurb: Representative from MN. where Nickel mines have been shuttered (among others), while Dems buy from DPR Congo’s child slave labor, complete lack of environmental standards, and CCP ownership, grilled Buttigieg over it. Meals & meat– the belief (I think well-founded) that meat eaters are more energetic and independent is the source for the assault on it, despite the claims of resource disparity. Assault on food in general… Marxists loves them some Holodomor’s… Thanks for the well-crafted Jeremiad, needed and entertaining. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Daniel, I am laughing at your opening statement, and loving it at the same time. It’s wonderful to write for readers who relish the wonder and the power of poetry. I am glad my words have prompted a discussion on subjects that are shut down elsewhere (thank you, Evan). The depth of depravity those who are in current control are willing to sink to takes my breath away, and your contribution to the discussion enforces all my poetry conveys. Thank you very much for highlighting the horrors of our age. I believe knowledge is power. We’re never going to get knowledge from the nightly news. I also believe that the fine-tooth-combed search for life’s raison d’être starts with literature… of the pre-modernist variety. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi March 6, 2024 Centuries from now, the poems of Susan Jarvis Bryant will be remembered and studied as precious windows into the bloodsucking insanity of a WEF-ruled world. If the human race is lucky, by that time all of these WEF philanthropaths will have been shot and shoveled into lime pits. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Joe, thank you very much for your continued encouragement. I remember Brian saying something along the lines of poetry bearing witness. I really hope the words of all those writers, metaphorically tarred and feathered and dragged through cyberspace for deviating from the “new normal”, will have their collective say one day… that’s if a nuclear explosion doesn’t blow us all to smithereens anytime soon. The WEF have a lot to answer for… and we’ve only felt the tip of their spear. Reply
Clive Roland Boddy March 6, 2024 Very nicely crafted as usual Susan. Presumably philanthropaths are those corporate and political psychopaths who present a mask of sanity and normalcy, to distract attention from what they are really up to? Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Clive, thank you for your appreciation – and yes, I believe you are spot on with your observations. I do, however, detect the mask slipping bit by bit as time goes on. I fear that by the time they are revealed for who they are and what they want… they would already have reached their goal at our expense. What a pessimist I’m becoming. Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson March 6, 2024 These are among your most important political pronouncements couched in covered, but not so subtle, disguised double entrendre and metaphors galore. As we approach further repressions of speech, such writing methods will become critical to righteous and correctly thinking free writers. Dr. Salemi is right. These not only are arrows piercing their targets now, but also are for future generations to understand the calumny of the present body politic. Fantastic concepts and delivery of classical poetry. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Roy, I thank you wholeheartedly for your encouraging comment and appreciation of my work. The thought that saddens me is that we have been warned by history – many, many times. It seems these days our past battles with evil for survival have been torn up and rewritten. Let’s hope attitudes change with our changing times. Reply
Phil S. Rogers March 6, 2024 Exudes the sulfurous stench of vile intent. A perfect description of the dribble which comes from the condescending mouths of the WEF elite. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Phil, thank you very much for reading and for commenting. I enjoyed writing that line… I smell sulfur and BS wafting on the wind regularly these days. Reply
Stephen M. Dickey March 6, 2024 Susan, this is a very fine piece. I would second Roy’s opinion above. I am coming to appreciate more and more poems like this with extended metaphors. Thanks for that. Last but not least, I really liked “sugar-baddy” as a counterpart to “philanthropath”. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Stephen, thank you very much for reading and for commenting. I’m glad you liked my “sugar-baddy”… I will admit to grinning when I came up with that one. It popped into my head and seemed to fit. Your appreciation says it does, and I’m over the moon. Reply
C.B. Anderson March 6, 2024 This opus might stand as a condensation of everything you have heretofore published in this vein. You see it all, and you say it all. You make “pissed-off” seem like a mild reaction to a minor irritant. You will never know, Susan, how glad I am that we are on the same side. It is odd, however, that a Brit has come across the Pond to salvage the U.S.A. Keep the faith. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 C.B., I have grown to love the history and the people of my new home, and your wonderful comment makes it so much easier to keep the faith. I just love your “pissed off” remark. I might ear-mark it for my epitaph: “SJB made “pissed-off” seem like a mild reaction to a minor irritant” sounds mighty Texan and most fitting. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson March 6, 2024 I second the above comments, and greatly appreciate the talent you have to express these things so clearly and strongly. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Cynthia, I thoroughly appreciate your kind words. I am so glad my message is clear. Meaning can often get lost in the linguistic embellishments. I always strive to put meaning before all the frilly bits I love… and don’t always succeed. You have made me smile. Reply
Drilon Bajrami March 6, 2024 The WEF has always seemed to me a forum of evil. I think your poems perfectly describe the “philanthropaths” (quite the pithy term), which, no doubt, will be in great attendance at the WEF. The “He pulls the strings of those his treasures bless” refrain was especially powerful. I’ve yet to read a poem of yours, Susan, that is anything other than outstanding. I hope you continue to bless us with even more. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 7, 2024 Drilon, thank you so very much for your wonderful words of appreciation and encouragement. I love the line you’ve picked out… what a crying shame that morally challenged masters of the universe are able to pull the strings of those their treasures bless, all too easily. If only…. Reply
Mike Bryant March 7, 2024 Scott Adams is an excellent author and the cartoonist who brought us “Dilbert.” He has spent his life trying to understand office politics and politics so he could lampoon them in his comic strip and explain them in his books. He doesn’t seem particularly political but he did predict Trump’s 2016 win. He has had three or four very tough years, that are documented on his regular podcast. He has also had a kind of awakening. He recently posted this simple list to let us know which level of awareness we have about politics. Levels of Awareness in politics: Level 1 They believe what their preferred news say and do not sample other sources. Not aware of counter arguments. Not aware their news is mostly narrative. Level 2 Sample news from multiple sources but believe only their own sources are accurate. Think the other side is all narrative, but familiar with all sides of issues. Level 3 Aware that ALL news is fake, at least in the sense of missing context and spin. Also known as Gell-Mann Amnesia. But still believe the experts in various fields are usually correct. Level 4 Understand that NONE of our experts are reliable. Some might be right, not none can be trusted without verification. The distortion of money makes no expert credible. Level 5 They see the gears of the machine, Mike Benz style. The Republic no longer looks like whatever the Founders intended. The control of powerful billionaires and intelligence professionals is now obvious. Level 6 You are dead because you know too much. Also known as Epstein Level. Scott Adams If you’d like to post your score… great! I’m hoping I don’t see any sixes… I’m allergic to ghosts. Reply
Brian A. Yapko March 7, 2024 Susan, where do I even begin with these three poetic nuclear bombs? I like what C.B. has said about these being a distillation – or, in terms I better recognize – an almost lawyerly summation of the case. And I like what Dr. Salemi has said – how centuries from now people will be reading your work as a window into today’s social and political corruption and depravity. I concur. I also believe that these are among your best work. I will paraphrase from Hamlet. “Many palpable hits.” The forms you work with in the first two poems appear to be a nonce form inspired (inspired, perhaps, by your favorite form the rondeau redouble?): abbbaa, acccaa, adddaa, ee. This is as demanding as a rondeau redouble and yet feels less stilted. Your use of disciplined rhymes which repeat like a drumbeat coupled with repetends in some unexpected places really get your message home. But then you end with a Shakespearian sonnet. It’s an interesting choice to do so as at first glance it lacks the drama of the first two poems. But what it lacks in drama, it makes up for in detached clarity. It also offers a nod to tradition. It is as if your trio of poems were offered by a lawyer describing the evidence. Ending with a sonnet is like a summation and a respectful bow to the jury indicating that this particular speech is done. And what a speech! No one has yet mentioned him, but the first name that popped into my head as your puppeteer is George Soros, who I believe to be the incarnation of all that is evil with our world as he spends unbelievable sums of money on promoting corruptly liberal D.A.s , funds the political careers of leftist hacks, promotes the disruptive activities of Hamassholes (I learned this term from The David Rubin Show) and otherwise acts as the puppeteer most likely to destroy Western Civilization. But, of course, the depth of your poem is such that the philanthropath(s) you describe could be any number of vile and wealthy social engineers, from the leaders of Qatar, to the leadership of Disney, to Bill Gates. Pick your poison. I have more I’d like to say and just don’t have the time at the moment. So much to savor in the phrasing and images presented in your trio. Perhaps I’ll be able to write more anon. In the meantime, I must end with this: The overwhelming image conjured for me by three poems for me is Screwtape mentoring Wormwood into how to destroy the human spirit, tear Man away from God, and win yet another soul or two for Hell. You are a master at throwing a sharp spotlight on all that evil is and does. C. S. Lewis would be so proud of you. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 8, 2024 Brian, I thoroughly appreciate your astute, appreciative, and encouraging comment. To have your lawyer’s eye observe “an almost lawyerly summation of the case” is high praise indeed. I wanted to say it as it is… poetically, and your words have made my efforts thoroughly worthwhile. The form was carefully considered. I am a great fan of nonce forms used to create an atmosphere and I especially like repetition to get grave points across. I needed a zoom lens of a form to focus in on those philanthropaths, and this seemed to work. A sonnet for the puppets seemed most appropriate. I wanted more of a conversational piece… a matter-of-fact observation that talks of all the things in society causing anxiety with a seen-it-all-before ease that shows up those puppets for exactly who they are… puppets. It’s a shame they are so willing to go along with this evil charade instead of speaking out against it with vehemence. Sadly, history dictates our fate. but many won’t heed the warnings because history is being rewritten and dismantled daily. I wanted my philanthropath poems to represent anyone and everyone who wants to invest in the destruction of the Western culture at the people’s expense with a template in mind. The sad thing is, without puppets the plan to destroy our civilization as we know it would fade away into oblivion. Fear is the big driving force behind it. When fear of losing one’s livelihood, one’s healthcare (laughable in these post Covid days), and all the trappings that make living in the Western world so comfortable, is a factor… being a puppet is on the cards. The thing I fear is how far puppets are willing to go before they think it’s too far. That’s where my fear lies. Brian, your closing paragraph has caused tears of joy to prick the back of my eyes… I’ll carry your closing sentence in my heart. Thank you! Reply
Margaret Coats March 8, 2024 Susan, I’ve given this complex poem the several readings it deserves, and only now do I feel I have come to an adequate understanding. Perhaps I was thrown off by the illustration’s suggestion that the World Economic Forum is the subject. As you say in your reply to Brian, the much broader subject is “anyone and everyone who wants to invest in the destruction of Western culture at the people’s expense with a template in mind.” But that still begs the question of who is he, the singular individual whose concerns are detailed in the first and second sections of the poem. Like Brian, I thought of Soros but, frankly, I’ve had enough of Soros bashing. He is an important mammonist, but there are many more, and when one dies, another takes his place. Therefore, I will take literally your identification of your “he” as a “foul fiend.” There are many devils in hell, one of whom may step up as the zeitgeist of an age, and I think the most appropriate name here is Mammon. And the word “mammonist” that I just used for one of his favored disciples (“those his treasures bless”) is established if rare in English. It could be more used to refer to persons who deify wealth and use riches for an evil purpose. There have always been such mammonists, but I think your specification of your subjects as doing so “with a template,” which implies “in coordination,” has become more meaningful and noticeable in the present era. The one word that did not seem to fit with my reading was “depopulation” in the “Gates of Hell” section. It is quite true that mammonists today ache for depopulation, and that this belies their supposed care for humankind. But Mammon the devil does not care about his mammonists’ fear that their wealth might be endangered by overpopulation of the earth. He would want to increase the number of souls entering hell’s gates and, again, this takes some thought to interpret. Devils favor depopulation measures because these increase the number and gravity of sins, and thus offend God more. And although fewer human beings means fewer potential slaves, depopulation ensures that the fate of more of them is secured faster. Finally, the foul fiends cannot create souls, but only corrupt the ones created by God, so they are willing to bargain for whatever seems to bring the greatest percentage to hell, just as businessmen go for the greater market share. As you can see, my interpretation of your poem turns even philanthropaths into puppets of a higher evil power. They have their own puppets on a lesser level. I’m glad you used “marionettes,” because the only marionette performance I’ve seen (in Austria) used rather large figures, some of which (to the great amusement of the audience) themselves operated smaller marionettes AND a puppet to conclude the show. Demonstrates how mammonism with its puppets descends into and corrupts charities that formerly provided real help to needy people. Music was an essential part of the performance I saw, and this to me corresponds exactly with your “Puppet” sonnet relying on images of song and dance–as well as your own frequent ending technique referring in some way to song. Your nonce form belongs, I would say, to the ballade family. In the first two portions, the three stanzas with refrain and envoi-like summary necessarily recall the ballade. Six-line stanzas and couplet envois are extremely rare, but they do occur, though usually not in the same poem. What might make your form nonce is the refrain not appearing as final line of the couplet–but even that has precedents. Rather, the combination of a sort of double ballade (each with its own envoi) with a sonnet in a short lyric sequence is a unique form for a single work. Excellent effort to deal with an enormous topic! It made me think of a book that did something similar not long ago with regard to the secular state. The volume had 650 pages plus a 20-page bibliography. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi March 8, 2024 When Susan speaks of a “template” I think she means a fixed idea, an ideological construct, or a fetishized Categorical Imperative. Such things are very likely demonic in origin, but they can also be explained as a natural manifestation of that most evil of human tendencies: the desire to control and dominate other persons. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 8, 2024 Margaret, thank you for your close reading and your detailed analysis. I am grateful for the time you have taken. My relationship with poetry is a simple one. I love poetry for its brevity, its musicality, and the freedom it gives me to explore subjects in ways a detailed study doesn’t. It allows me to capture a mood, a feeling, the essence of something without pinning it down, dissecting and shining a spotlight on its every mystery. I like poetry that leaves a little something to the imagination. I didn’t want to reveal every meaning in every line… as I said, I like to create a feel. You are right about Soros… the clue is in the title – “Soros-e the Puppeteer”, just as Bill appears in “Gates of Hell”. As for your “frankly, I’ve had enough of Soros bashing. He is an important mammonist, but there are many more, and when one dies, another takes his place” – I am sorry to disappoint you with yet more Soros bashing. I hold Gates and Soros up as philanthropathic ideals – charlatans of our time (that’s why I chose them) pretending to cure society’s ills while killing the Western world instead. Soros’ love of money is the least of our worries. It’s what he and his ilk are doing with it that needs to be brought to public attention. That’s why some prefer to look the other way… it’s so much easier to think the donations their institutions depend upon to “heal” the world are funded by a philanthropist not a psychopath. Many have had enough of the subject of Soros and Gates, just as they are sick of hearing about the evils of our current pope. Oh, the irony. When the truth is out… how tiresome it is to have to deal with it. We are a stiff-necked people! I like your “As you can see, my interpretation of your poem turns even philanthropaths into puppets of a higher evil power. They have their own puppets on a lesser level.” – I agree wholeheartedly. BUT all of us have the power to make our own choices. Perhaps it’s time for every puppet (philanthropath and otherwise) to cut the strings before the reckoning. Reply
Mike Bryant March 8, 2024 Susan, this trio of poems is beautiful and truthful. As for depopulation, it is the greatest commandment of the Malthusians who started the Club of Rome. I am convinced that the WEF is simply the successor of the Club of Rome. Kudos to Evan for the illustration that states, “…Improving the State of the World.” Note there is nothing about the PEOPLE of the world. That is, of course, because WE are simply the infestation that makes their impossible utopian goals even more difficult. As for depopulation, I believe that the good old USA is, and has been, their laboratory for all things depopulation targeted. Don’t believe it? Take a look at the first graph in this article: https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-life-expectancy-compare-countries/#Life%20expectancy%20at%20birth,%20in%20years,%201980-2022 It’s a comparison of the USA to comparable countries. We’ve been on the hind tit of life expectancy since 1980! Then take a look at the huge dip in 2020, 2021. The philanthropaths ARE getting there. Don’t worry they are well on the way to bringing the rest of the world down to our level. Everything that works here is sold to the rest of the civilized world. Also, if these are the graphs that we are allowed to see… how bad is it really? I think climate lockdowns, along with net zero, will be much more effective than the scamdemic. We need to get more Soros non-Prosecutors into office. There are not nearly enough murderers roaming the streets yet. Also we need to get far, far more vaccinations, diseases and hospital protocols out there. This is all so inconvenient to think about though… just carry on as usual. A Philanthropath Utopia is in sight! Reply
Norma Pain March 9, 2024 Thank you for these three poems Susan. They speak the truth that so many are not willing to look at or contemplate. Just getting along with their lives as if nothing is at stake here. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 9, 2024 Norma, thank you so very much for reading my poetry and for your astute observation. The evils of our society have never been more in-your-face evident, yet all we hear is crickets. I have a feeling those crickets will be going the way of the dodo soon, but not because they taste like bacon. I apologize for my warped humor – it helps me keep a relatively sane eye on things. Reply
James Sale March 11, 2024 Wonderful stuff again, Susan – so memorable so many of the lines: ‘Sham Frankenham from bullshit, spit and soy.’ – very, very ingenious and packed with punch. That is exactly why, of course, this is not being taught in schools or at undergraduate level – people want formless poems that endlessly iterate – or seem like – their own unfocused angst and emotional drivel. To start to stop thinking about yourself and start understanding what is going on all around us requires serious effort despite all the fun of your verses and forms. But as Joe says, in the future we can but hope another generation might come to enjoy these searing indictments of yours. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant March 12, 2024 James, I thoroughly appreciate your enthusiasm for my poetry and your encouragement. I am especially humbled by your observation: “To start to stop thinking about yourself and start understanding what is going on all around us requires serious effort” – it does and the truth is shocking. James, your words equally apply to HellWard and StairWell. Thank you for your inspiration! Reply
