Bishop Szczepanowski confronted by King Śmiały, by Knoor‘A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer’ and Other Poetry by Susan Jarvis Bryant The Society February 10, 2025 Beauty, Poetry, Satire 39 Comments . A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer My prayer is not pitched heavenward _To fall upon deaf ears. It’s lashed to Earth for greater good. _It cashes in on tears. It’s feathered several nests for years— _I’m Croesus-rich and famed. I’m feasting at the public trough _And I am not ashamed. My prayer, it signals virtue of _The kiss-the-cash-cow kind— A gung-ho show of fuzzy love _To hex the skeptic mind. I force remorse till crushed hearts find _The care in all I’ve claimed. I’m feasting at the public trough _And I am not ashamed. I hug the thugs who cross the line _The law draws in the sand. The sale of sex and drugs is fine. _I lend a grasping hand To traffickers—they won’t be banned _And I will not be blamed. I’m feasting at the public trough _And I am not ashamed. I am the proud and loudest voice _For causes of the day. I tell kids gender is their choice— _Those phony pronouns pay. I pray for golden geese that lay; _For flocks forever gamed. I’m feasting at the public trough _And I am not ashamed. Enchanted sheep repeat my cry— _They bleat each wicked word Without a thought to question why _My sermon’s so absurd. I bless the woolly-headed herd _Whose folly goes untamed. I’m feasting at the public trough _And I am not ashamed. The Devil heeds my prayer of need. _My greed is unrestrained. I’ll milk and bleed and fleece and scoff _Until the trough is drained. . . To The Truth You never pivot on capricious lips To suit the mood and music of the hour. Your constant certainty—it never slips Beneath the pure to push for pomp and power. You glimmer in the maelstrom of the fray. You ripple through the murk of maddened seas— A crystal surge of clarity—a splash Of sanity to cool the crazy day. I catch your sinless whisper on the breeze— Familiar yet astonishingly fresh. You stir my senses with a piercing sting From noble notions sown within my soul. The beauty and brutality you bring Have served to make the broken mortal whole. Your light will not be hidden from the heart That aches for something other—something more Than darkness bleeding vim from sunbeam dreams. You’ve ripped this sick and wicked world apart With grace that makes the wretched spirit soar. You show the lost—all isn’t as it seems. To look you in your coruscating eye, To feel your flawless gaze ignite the skin, To hear your answer to the question Why?— To understand where love and joy begin Will set your seeker on a narrow road Strewn with thorns and nails and blessed with trust— A worthy journey hot with scorn and strife. Your words comprise the greatest story told. Your glory lifts the lowly from the dust. Your death has offered us eternal life. . . Susan Jarvis Bryant is a poet originally from the U.K., now living on the Gulf Coast of Texas. 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. Trending now: 39 Responses Mark Stellinga February 10, 2025 Another pair of masterpieces, Susan! What a gift for penning superior ‘Poetry’ you have. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde needs to digest both pieces, not that either would manage to wake her tiny mind up, and your magnificent tribute to God should be the preface of every Bible printed heretofore. BTW -I’m a major ’14-liner’ fan, as you likely know, and you’re rhymes & rhythm in ‘A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer’ are, as always, impeccable. Absolutely awesome! Hope you’re feeling relatively fantastic. 🙂 “Hi” to Mike. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Mark, thank you very much for your beautiful words of encouragement. I’m glad you like the rhyme and rhythm of “A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer” – I needed a toe-tapping smile of a rhythm to get such a hard-to-swallow message across – a spoonful of sugar, as it were. The ever-increasing self-serving clergy represent all that is wrong with religion today. It’s a tragic shame Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde doesn’t stand alone. She is one of many in all religious denominations. To skew God’s Word for personal gain (from the church pulpit, no less) is sickening. Reply James Bontrager February 10, 2025 Poetry at its finest!! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 James, thank you very much indeed. Reply Joseph S. Salemi February 10, 2025 Susan, we have missed your voice here — it’s great to have you back with two excellent pieces. The Bogus Bishop poem is brilliant! You have made a bullseye hit when it comes to the great majority of bishops in our mainline churches. As the USCCB has shown, our hierarchy is fixated on government largesse — which is bad enough, but to drape it in the disguise of mealy-mouthed piety is intolerably hypocritical. The rhyme-linkage in the poem’s octets is flawless, and the refrain about feasting at the public trough delivers a smack worthy of Clough. What great satire! “To the Truth” is a more complicated poem. It was not until the last stanza that I had a clue as to the addressee, which in my reading seems to be Christ. The lines about “a narrow road / Strewn with thorns and nails” seem to suggest this. So do the words “the greatest story told,” and of course the final line about a death that offers us eternal life. Your poem is a prayer, but one recognizing that the human journey is always the Via Dolorosa. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Joe, I thoroughly appreciate your encouraging, entertaining, and educative comment. I am rather ashamed to say I am not familiar with the works of Arthur Hugh Clough. I am so glad you pointed me in his direction. I’ve just had a quick look on Wikipedia and discovered to my great delight that I am bowled over by him. What an intriguing character who has led a remarkable life… one I will now be reading about with relish. I’m not surprised he’s a satirist – the harshness he witnessed begged to be addressed… with a stinging, satirical smack. It’s lovely to be back. Thank you very much indeed! Reply Paul Erlandson February 10, 2025 Wonderful, Susan! I LOVE the Bogus Bishop’s Prayer! So true and so strongly stated! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Paul, that poem was begging to be written – I simply had to do it! I’m thrilled you love it. Thank you! Reply Yael February 10, 2025 What a heavenly pair of poems for a chem-traily Monday morning Susan, thank you! I really enjoyed reading both of them together, for their wonderful contrast between truth and error. Someone once told me a Buddhist proverb which goes like this: “Error thinking eliminates itself.” I like it because it is not unlike “The wages of sin is death.” I have used this Buddhist proverb on a few occasions in conversation with haters of the gospel and Bible scriptures. They immediately complain about how heartless and cold it sounds, even though they loathe all the comforting Bible scriptures of Jesus’ love, forgiveness, redemption and salvation, while embracing ever other -ism. Which gives me the opportunity to ask: What exactly is it that you love about Buddhism and hate about the gospel of love and salvation from sin in Jesus Christ? Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Yael, it’s great to hear from you – you always give me something interesting to think about, and this comment is rich with gleaming nuggets of knowledge that excite my mind. I love the proverb observation – so very true. Yael, thank you! I hope your Monday afternoon is a lot less chem-traily. Reply Roy Eugene Peterson February 10, 2025 You long ago cemented your reputation as one of the greatest poets of all time. With these two awesome poems you continue to provide sunshine from your august perch on the mount. In the first poem you completely disected the apostate bishop and his enterprise solidifying it with the last two repetitive lines of “I’m feasting at the public trough_And I am not ashamed” and then slamming it home with the change in the final ending. I was completely captivated and enraptured by your inspired superb wording in the second poem that took my breath away with your ode to the One who’s truth is eternal. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Roy, what a beautiful comment – your words have touched me deeply. I am especially grateful for your mention of sunshine. I yearn to spread joy with my words yet feel compelled to write about dark subjects – subjects that need to be in the spotlight’s glare. I am over the moon you see sunshine in my efforts. I am thrilled you enjoyed my ode. I am so sick and tired of relativism, I have been burning to give a nod to absolute truth – His Truth. I was humbled when writing this – truth hurts and heals, and I simply can’t survive without it. Your words tell me my effort was worthwhile. I’m smiling. Roy, thank you very much indeed! Reply Margaret Coats February 10, 2025 “A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer” rings true. For how very long have we heard prayer “not pitched heavenward” because so many clergy seem to think ears in heaven are deaf? At the same time the follies of their flocks go “untamed” because preachers are not “ashamed” of their own vices (greed in particular, with such a feast in the public trough). A sad satirical indictment of man-centered pseudo-worship. “To the Truth,” yes, addressed to Him who is the Way and the Life. One particularly beautiful line because of its freshness is “Familiar yet astonishingly fresh.” Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Thank you for glancing at my poems, Margaret. As you imply, “A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer” is a rather tiresome subject – I’m sick to the back teeth of it. To answer your question: “For how very long have we heard prayer “not pitched heavenward” because so many clergy seem to think ears in heaven are deaf?” – too darn long in my opinion. I saw it in the U.K. and it followed me here. That’s because earthly temptations are a tad too tough, for those raking in money and reveling in riches, to resist. As for that untamed flock – therein lies the crux of the problem. All those not curious and caring enough to follow their chosen church’s dubiously funded missions all the way to the border and back with sex-trafficked children, drugs, and rape-gangs in mind, are exactly why this tiresome subject is still in the spotlight. We are all endowed with gifts from God – one of them being a free will, the other a conscience. Perhaps it’s time to stop listening to the sinful sophistry of the modern-day Pharisees and go straight to scripture for His word. It may not come with “expert” spin – but it’s an honest start on a pilgrimage to The Truth… which will be “astonishingly fresh” because it is stripped of bogus-bishop embellishments. Reply David Paul Behrens February 10, 2025 I believe your mind to be a poetry machine, dispensing endless creativity and superb writing. Whenever I see your name, I know it is going to be good. Well done, Susan, as usual. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 David, you are right – my mind is a poetry machine, whirring away day and night. I simply have to write, and it’s lovely to see you’ve enjoyed the churnings of my creative cogs. David, thank you for the grin! Reply Cynthia Erlandson February 10, 2025 Oh, my goodness, Susan, all I can add is THANK YOU so much for these! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Cynthia, you are very welcome – and these words from you are dear to my heart having read your wonderful book, “Foundations of the Cross and Other Bible Stories”, which brings the Truth to life in beautiful poetry. Thank you! Reply Mike Bryant February 10, 2025 Susan, first I must say these poems are brilliant. I had a blast being your sounding board as these miracles took place. They are true, they shine light on the sins of the Pharisees and, above all, they show those false leaders the way they, and their permissive flocks, are heading. It is not just one Church Charity, either… here are a few of the many: 1. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) 2. World Vision 3. Samaritan’s Purse 4. Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) 5. IMA World Health: Originally known as Interchurch Medical Assistance 6. Operation Blessing International https://www.libertynation.com/open-borders-religious-ngos-hit-hard-by-the-fall-of-usaid/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2025-02-10&utm_campaign=Fourth+Estate+frantic+over+Pentagon+access+religious+NGOs+missing+out+on+taxpayer+cash+and+New+Hampshire+s+sanctuary+cities+are+on+notice+ Of course, the churches aren’t the only ones… many politicians, political parties, media companies, and just about every imaginable group has formed charities and NGOs in order to get in on the money. Unfortunately, these Charities and NGOs have a bad habit of siphoning off most of the greenbacks before they ever help anyone. I wonder what Peter would have told a friend that was explaining how Peter, as a church leader, could get billions of denarii from Pilate or Caesar? “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.” – 1 Peter 5:2-3 How different he was than our modern religionists. Peter knew how to follow Jesus. So, thank you Susan for letting your light shine. May free speech and transparency reign in this vale of tears until the words of the Lord’s Prayer are fully realized. Reply Julian D. Woodruff February 10, 2025 Mike, wouldn’t you agree that Peter didn’t always know how to follow Jesus? Thus the touching and oh so important encounter just before the Ascension. As some priest recently pointed out, while the Church is Jesus’s holy creation, those who man it (excuse that verb, regardless of your sex/sexual preference!) are not always so (no special vision is necessary to see that!), and Jesus knew it would be so & blesses His Church anyway. That said, Susan’s magnificent complaint should be read by anyone competent in English, as it hits squarely at one glaring failure we’ve tolerated for the last umpteen years and still do. Reply Mike Bryant February 10, 2025 Julian, the neat thing about Jesus’ ministry was the people He attracted… fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes… generally the hated, the looked down on and the underestimated. He didn’t build His following with the powerful, the rich or the experts, but with people who were hungry for truth, healing, and purpose. Jesus’ approach was direct, personal, and rooted in daily life… not institutional grandeur. He traveled, taught in homes and open spaces. He met people where they were. Peter and Paul did the same, working with their hands and supporting themselves so the message was pure and free from dependence upon other people’s money. The Great Commission was about going, teaching, and making disciples. I think everything changed with the wrongheaded addition of Greek philosophy and nation building to the simple truth… then it became about building temples and collecting wealth. Joseph S. Salemi February 10, 2025 Check out the book by Shirley Scheibla (“Poverty Is Where The Money Is” Arlington House, 1968). She was a writer for Barrons and the Wall Street Journal. The poverty racket has been enriched grifters and con-men for decades here in the U.S., and is a major source of income for left-liberal organizations and political activists. Reply Mike Bryant February 10, 2025 Joe, I looked up that book and it’s brilliant. I graduated HS in ‘69 so I remember LBJ, the Great Society and the War on Poverty. I remember a joke that Johnny Carson told… Hey! We are winning the war on poverty! Just last week we captured 47 vagrants and 28 beggars! You have to ridicule the stupidity… not that it did any good. In fact, the creation of huge government departments enriched the connected and created an even larger number of poor. Here we are, almost sixty years later and deeper in debt for nothing at all. The lady knew what she was talking about. We are still suffering from the things that LBJ did. Some maintain he did it to keep the poor poor and to expand government. Now we are seeing the same dynamic being exposed in every government department. You know USAID must be bad because of the people who want to keep it going. It’s funny that even the name “USAID” was created to make people think it had something to do with AID, or care or helping. It actually stands for “United States Agency for International Development” which means that we are only aiding the big shots of every stripe… political, religious, billionaires and all their playmates. When you move money the powerful always get their cut. When government agencies move money… the big shots take most of it. Anyway, that’s my third or fourth rant today! Thanks, Joe… I need to take a few days off to let my blood pressure get back down to my new normal. Susan Jarvis Bryant February 11, 2025 Mike, it’s not an easy task to find Truth in a world full of lies, and it’s not easy to impart with it in an age of imprisonment for “misgendering” your own child and being arrested for a mean meme. Thank you for your inspiration and (above all) your brave and tireless search for the one gift that makes life meaningful – without it, we’re doomed. Reply Julian D. Woodruff February 10, 2025 Susan, thank you for both of these. As I’ve shown on this site (though not so brilliantly and urgently as you here), my patience with the bishops (and other Christian church leaders from time to time & here & there) also grows thin. I also fear worse is yet to come (although there are definite signs of health in one place & another). For one thing, is it even possible to have an honest, true religion if it is beholden to a secular state that avows religious indifference but tends to practice religious intolerance? Your 2nd is equally impressive–the kind of poem I often wish I could write. You remind me of my preference when it comes to a certain little word: not pronouns (my, your, their), but an article: THE truth. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 11, 2025 Julian, thank you very much for your generous, encouraging, and enlightening comment. I share your concerns. Although things appear to be getting better in some areas and the stem of federal money will curtail some of the insidious idiocy we have witnessed for far too long – many churches have relied on godless sponsors (with their “new normal” government agenda to push) to keep afloat. Congregations have dwindled. Are there enough good guys left to spread THE truth, The whole truth, and nothing but THE truth? I love your “THE truth” observation, and I am hopeful. I believe eyes are opening and many know honesty is the only way forward. One has to understand the problem before a solution can be found. I believe the solution is going to be a painful journey for everyone. Apathy has reigned for far too long. Reply Joseph S. Salemi February 10, 2025 For those readers who do not know the brilliant satiric work of Arthur Hugh Clough (1819 – 1861), here is his famous poem on the Ten Commandments: The Latest Decalogue Thou shalt have one God only; who Would be at the expense of two? No graven images may be Worshipp’d, except the currency; Swear not at all; for, for thy curse Thine enemy is none the worse: At church on Sunday to attend Will serve to keep the world thy friend: Honour thy parents; that is, all From whom advancement may befall: Thou shalt not kill, but need’st not strive Officiously to keep alive: Do not adultery commit; Advantage rarely comes of it: Thou shalt not steal; an empty feat, When it’s so lucrative to cheat: Bear not false witness; let the lie Have time on its own wings to fly: Thou shalt not covet, but tradition Approves all forms of competition. I have written an essay on Clough’s work at Expansive Poetry Online. Reply Mike Bryant February 11, 2025 That essay is here: http://www.expansivepoetryonline.com/SalemiOnClough.html Reply Julian D. Woodruff February 11, 2025 Mike, Thanks for providing the link to Joseph’s appreciative introductory presentation and social commentary on Clough. He is new to me; I wonder if he was known to Tom Lehrer and Michael Flanders, although neither of them wielded the skewer like Clough. On “How pleasant it is …,” I once heard a song setting, by the Russian-born immigrant Julius Kagen, prominent vocal faculty member at Juilliard. Mike Bryant February 11, 2025 Julian, I found this video on YouTube… audio only of Mack Harrell singing twelve of Hagen’s compositions, including “How Pleasant…”, with the composer, Hagen, at the piano! “How Pleasant…” is at 13:26 of the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ar8OqVPUhI&t=824s Here are the YouTube search results for Sergius Kagen: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Sergius+kagen Mike Bryant February 11, 2025 Julian, I found a great article about Kagen here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergius_Kagen It does list “How Pleasant it is…” under the list of his music. I believe he must’ve loved setting poetry to music. There are quite a few listed. Susan Jarvis Bryant February 11, 2025 Joe, what a great essay on an intriguing poet. Most interesting for me was to see how his political and religious beliefs impacted his poetry to such an extent it held his true spirit back for the majority of his works. I’m glad he let his hair down on four fruitful occasions. This is one of the reasons why I have come to love and respect your take on poems being “fictive artifacts” – it gives the poet freedom – liberty to write anything and everything, including provocative and thoroughly entertaining and scathing satire with abandon, for which I am most grateful. I’ve not pushed my satire to the heights of Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”, but… watch this space. Joe, thank you. Reply Joseph S. Salemi February 11, 2025 Susan, thank you. And all of us at the S.C.P. wait anxiously for your new poetic postings here! Warren Bonham February 11, 2025 I was thinking about David’s “poetry machine” comment. Most of us aspire to be able to continually churn out perfectly constructed poems of all forms and styles. Not only can you do that but there is also a designing mind behind the mechanistic part of the process that draws inspiration from places most cannot tap into. Brilliantly conceived and constructed contrasting poems. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 11, 2025 Warren, thank you very much indeed for your kind and encouraging comment. I am thoroughly enjoying witnessing your poetry journey. It’s great to see you trying new things. I believe we’re traveling on the same path. It’s a privilege to have you at my side. Reply James Sale February 13, 2025 Both great pieces Susan: the Bishop piece is especially telling and I love the skill of the rhyming of ‘ashamed’. Even assuming her sincerity – a massive assumption – what a wasted opportunity to communicate with the most powerful man on Earth? Without compromising her own beliefs, she could have reframed it all in terms of Trump’s known interests; instead, she signified her own virtue and played to her own crowd. She has her reward – and the opportunity to make a difference was lost. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 13, 2025 Thank you very much, James. I’m thrilled you enjoyed the poems. I agree with all you say. However, I believe long-term, self-serving charlatans will never be able to connect, or come to a compromise, with anyone who threatens their continued personal enrichment. Their vision is myopic, and their goals are material not spiritual. There is a plus side to this. Those who know right from wrong get to see those who don’t have the best interest of the vulnerable at heart. When the pulpit is smeared with greed, it’s painful to see, as the truth often is, but it’s a gift. With honesty comes clarity – a shining spotlight on the ills of the world. When good people know their origin, something can be done to stem the grief… starting with speaking up and not covering up… just as Jesus did with the Pharisees. Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2025 Susan, both of these poems are incredible, both for their craftsmanship and the points they raise for the reader to ponder. I’m hard-pressed to say which is my favorite so I’ll call it a draw. The Bishop is the modern descendent of all of those corrupt clergy we read about going at least as far back as Medieval Times (I recall Henry II’s corrupt expectations of Thomas Beckett), through the Renaissance, pre-revolutionary France (I’m thinking of Cardinal Richelieu), right up to today. Elmer Gantry (fictional) or the very nonfictional scandals which sank Jim and Tammy Fay Bakker, the high-profile televangelists convicted of fraud in the wake of a sexual scandal cover-up. While I believe most members of the clergy are drawn to the calling because they are decent and spiritually-minded, there is no question that a certain type – a true wolf in sheep’s clothing – sees easy pickin’s in manipulating believers for his own unholy reasons. With this in mind — the fact that this is a recurring theme — the repeating refrain “I’m feasting at the public trough/And I am not ashamed” is truly chilling. Via repetends, it speaks of history of bad behavior which go all the way back. It speaks of violating the public trust. It speaks of self-righteous entitlement, of venality and avarice and hubris and it dares the reader to push back. Well, you have pushed back simply by writing this poem and exposing this violator of God’s trust. Well done. Vigilance must be maintained! Your poem on Truth is quite opposite in tone from the Bishop. You present an apostrophe to the abstract Truth who is slowly revealed to be Christ Himself, the Word made flesh and whose words (and very life) comprise the Greatest Story Ever Told – a story which continues in the telling. I know that this story is not relegated to ancient history because your beautiful poem discloses the “now” action verbs of glimmer, ripple, surge and whisper – all activities which exist in the here and now. And from these Nature words we are then led to a presence of light and the rending of evil. The poem could easily end here with a disembodied abstraction but you bring it home to make very clear the supremacy of God. It’s quite beautiful and a skillful lesson in the slow reveal, similar to the gradual addition of various lights on the stage which ultimately reveals out of the darkness something truly wondrous. As always, Susan, a masterclass in what tremendous gifts are possible in the crafting of poetry. Thank you for these. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 18, 2025 Brian, I thank you wholeheartedly for this appreciative, encouraging and perspicacious comment. Thank you for that list of corrupt clergy throughout history which serves to prove we do not live in unique times. I am particularly taken with this observation: While I believe most members of the clergy are drawn to the calling because they are decent and spiritually-minded, there is no question that a certain type – a true wolf in sheep’s clothing – sees easy pickin’s in manipulating believers for his own unholy reasons. I have had many wonderful experiences with decent and spiritually minded ministers, which makes it all the more important to call out those who take fully-funded advantage of their elevated in-the-name-of-God positions. It sickens me to see it and (as you quite rightly point out) pushback is needed, especially now. I am always aware that my hard-hitting satirical pieces are often tough to digest – especially when it comes to subjects dear to people’s hearts. This is why I paired two contrasting poems. I wanted to end with hope and especially Truth. There’s only one place to find it and those who hear His voice know where to look. Brian, I am always grateful for your fine eye. It’s wonderful when a fellow poet spots the craft of my poetry and the effort I’ve put into a piece, and this time your words are especially welcome. Thank you very much! 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.
Mark Stellinga February 10, 2025 Another pair of masterpieces, Susan! What a gift for penning superior ‘Poetry’ you have. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde needs to digest both pieces, not that either would manage to wake her tiny mind up, and your magnificent tribute to God should be the preface of every Bible printed heretofore. BTW -I’m a major ’14-liner’ fan, as you likely know, and you’re rhymes & rhythm in ‘A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer’ are, as always, impeccable. Absolutely awesome! Hope you’re feeling relatively fantastic. 🙂 “Hi” to Mike. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Mark, thank you very much for your beautiful words of encouragement. I’m glad you like the rhyme and rhythm of “A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer” – I needed a toe-tapping smile of a rhythm to get such a hard-to-swallow message across – a spoonful of sugar, as it were. The ever-increasing self-serving clergy represent all that is wrong with religion today. It’s a tragic shame Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde doesn’t stand alone. She is one of many in all religious denominations. To skew God’s Word for personal gain (from the church pulpit, no less) is sickening. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi February 10, 2025 Susan, we have missed your voice here — it’s great to have you back with two excellent pieces. The Bogus Bishop poem is brilliant! You have made a bullseye hit when it comes to the great majority of bishops in our mainline churches. As the USCCB has shown, our hierarchy is fixated on government largesse — which is bad enough, but to drape it in the disguise of mealy-mouthed piety is intolerably hypocritical. The rhyme-linkage in the poem’s octets is flawless, and the refrain about feasting at the public trough delivers a smack worthy of Clough. What great satire! “To the Truth” is a more complicated poem. It was not until the last stanza that I had a clue as to the addressee, which in my reading seems to be Christ. The lines about “a narrow road / Strewn with thorns and nails” seem to suggest this. So do the words “the greatest story told,” and of course the final line about a death that offers us eternal life. Your poem is a prayer, but one recognizing that the human journey is always the Via Dolorosa. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Joe, I thoroughly appreciate your encouraging, entertaining, and educative comment. I am rather ashamed to say I am not familiar with the works of Arthur Hugh Clough. I am so glad you pointed me in his direction. I’ve just had a quick look on Wikipedia and discovered to my great delight that I am bowled over by him. What an intriguing character who has led a remarkable life… one I will now be reading about with relish. I’m not surprised he’s a satirist – the harshness he witnessed begged to be addressed… with a stinging, satirical smack. It’s lovely to be back. Thank you very much indeed! Reply
Paul Erlandson February 10, 2025 Wonderful, Susan! I LOVE the Bogus Bishop’s Prayer! So true and so strongly stated! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Paul, that poem was begging to be written – I simply had to do it! I’m thrilled you love it. Thank you! Reply
Yael February 10, 2025 What a heavenly pair of poems for a chem-traily Monday morning Susan, thank you! I really enjoyed reading both of them together, for their wonderful contrast between truth and error. Someone once told me a Buddhist proverb which goes like this: “Error thinking eliminates itself.” I like it because it is not unlike “The wages of sin is death.” I have used this Buddhist proverb on a few occasions in conversation with haters of the gospel and Bible scriptures. They immediately complain about how heartless and cold it sounds, even though they loathe all the comforting Bible scriptures of Jesus’ love, forgiveness, redemption and salvation, while embracing ever other -ism. Which gives me the opportunity to ask: What exactly is it that you love about Buddhism and hate about the gospel of love and salvation from sin in Jesus Christ? Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Yael, it’s great to hear from you – you always give me something interesting to think about, and this comment is rich with gleaming nuggets of knowledge that excite my mind. I love the proverb observation – so very true. Yael, thank you! I hope your Monday afternoon is a lot less chem-traily. Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson February 10, 2025 You long ago cemented your reputation as one of the greatest poets of all time. With these two awesome poems you continue to provide sunshine from your august perch on the mount. In the first poem you completely disected the apostate bishop and his enterprise solidifying it with the last two repetitive lines of “I’m feasting at the public trough_And I am not ashamed” and then slamming it home with the change in the final ending. I was completely captivated and enraptured by your inspired superb wording in the second poem that took my breath away with your ode to the One who’s truth is eternal. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Roy, what a beautiful comment – your words have touched me deeply. I am especially grateful for your mention of sunshine. I yearn to spread joy with my words yet feel compelled to write about dark subjects – subjects that need to be in the spotlight’s glare. I am over the moon you see sunshine in my efforts. I am thrilled you enjoyed my ode. I am so sick and tired of relativism, I have been burning to give a nod to absolute truth – His Truth. I was humbled when writing this – truth hurts and heals, and I simply can’t survive without it. Your words tell me my effort was worthwhile. I’m smiling. Roy, thank you very much indeed! Reply
Margaret Coats February 10, 2025 “A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer” rings true. For how very long have we heard prayer “not pitched heavenward” because so many clergy seem to think ears in heaven are deaf? At the same time the follies of their flocks go “untamed” because preachers are not “ashamed” of their own vices (greed in particular, with such a feast in the public trough). A sad satirical indictment of man-centered pseudo-worship. “To the Truth,” yes, addressed to Him who is the Way and the Life. One particularly beautiful line because of its freshness is “Familiar yet astonishingly fresh.” Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Thank you for glancing at my poems, Margaret. As you imply, “A Bogus Bishop’s Prayer” is a rather tiresome subject – I’m sick to the back teeth of it. To answer your question: “For how very long have we heard prayer “not pitched heavenward” because so many clergy seem to think ears in heaven are deaf?” – too darn long in my opinion. I saw it in the U.K. and it followed me here. That’s because earthly temptations are a tad too tough, for those raking in money and reveling in riches, to resist. As for that untamed flock – therein lies the crux of the problem. All those not curious and caring enough to follow their chosen church’s dubiously funded missions all the way to the border and back with sex-trafficked children, drugs, and rape-gangs in mind, are exactly why this tiresome subject is still in the spotlight. We are all endowed with gifts from God – one of them being a free will, the other a conscience. Perhaps it’s time to stop listening to the sinful sophistry of the modern-day Pharisees and go straight to scripture for His word. It may not come with “expert” spin – but it’s an honest start on a pilgrimage to The Truth… which will be “astonishingly fresh” because it is stripped of bogus-bishop embellishments. Reply
David Paul Behrens February 10, 2025 I believe your mind to be a poetry machine, dispensing endless creativity and superb writing. Whenever I see your name, I know it is going to be good. Well done, Susan, as usual. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 David, you are right – my mind is a poetry machine, whirring away day and night. I simply have to write, and it’s lovely to see you’ve enjoyed the churnings of my creative cogs. David, thank you for the grin! Reply
Cynthia Erlandson February 10, 2025 Oh, my goodness, Susan, all I can add is THANK YOU so much for these! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 10, 2025 Cynthia, you are very welcome – and these words from you are dear to my heart having read your wonderful book, “Foundations of the Cross and Other Bible Stories”, which brings the Truth to life in beautiful poetry. Thank you! Reply
Mike Bryant February 10, 2025 Susan, first I must say these poems are brilliant. I had a blast being your sounding board as these miracles took place. They are true, they shine light on the sins of the Pharisees and, above all, they show those false leaders the way they, and their permissive flocks, are heading. It is not just one Church Charity, either… here are a few of the many: 1. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) 2. World Vision 3. Samaritan’s Purse 4. Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) 5. IMA World Health: Originally known as Interchurch Medical Assistance 6. Operation Blessing International https://www.libertynation.com/open-borders-religious-ngos-hit-hard-by-the-fall-of-usaid/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2025-02-10&utm_campaign=Fourth+Estate+frantic+over+Pentagon+access+religious+NGOs+missing+out+on+taxpayer+cash+and+New+Hampshire+s+sanctuary+cities+are+on+notice+ Of course, the churches aren’t the only ones… many politicians, political parties, media companies, and just about every imaginable group has formed charities and NGOs in order to get in on the money. Unfortunately, these Charities and NGOs have a bad habit of siphoning off most of the greenbacks before they ever help anyone. I wonder what Peter would have told a friend that was explaining how Peter, as a church leader, could get billions of denarii from Pilate or Caesar? “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.” – 1 Peter 5:2-3 How different he was than our modern religionists. Peter knew how to follow Jesus. So, thank you Susan for letting your light shine. May free speech and transparency reign in this vale of tears until the words of the Lord’s Prayer are fully realized. Reply
Julian D. Woodruff February 10, 2025 Mike, wouldn’t you agree that Peter didn’t always know how to follow Jesus? Thus the touching and oh so important encounter just before the Ascension. As some priest recently pointed out, while the Church is Jesus’s holy creation, those who man it (excuse that verb, regardless of your sex/sexual preference!) are not always so (no special vision is necessary to see that!), and Jesus knew it would be so & blesses His Church anyway. That said, Susan’s magnificent complaint should be read by anyone competent in English, as it hits squarely at one glaring failure we’ve tolerated for the last umpteen years and still do. Reply
Mike Bryant February 10, 2025 Julian, the neat thing about Jesus’ ministry was the people He attracted… fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes… generally the hated, the looked down on and the underestimated. He didn’t build His following with the powerful, the rich or the experts, but with people who were hungry for truth, healing, and purpose. Jesus’ approach was direct, personal, and rooted in daily life… not institutional grandeur. He traveled, taught in homes and open spaces. He met people where they were. Peter and Paul did the same, working with their hands and supporting themselves so the message was pure and free from dependence upon other people’s money. The Great Commission was about going, teaching, and making disciples. I think everything changed with the wrongheaded addition of Greek philosophy and nation building to the simple truth… then it became about building temples and collecting wealth.
Joseph S. Salemi February 10, 2025 Check out the book by Shirley Scheibla (“Poverty Is Where The Money Is” Arlington House, 1968). She was a writer for Barrons and the Wall Street Journal. The poverty racket has been enriched grifters and con-men for decades here in the U.S., and is a major source of income for left-liberal organizations and political activists. Reply
Mike Bryant February 10, 2025 Joe, I looked up that book and it’s brilliant. I graduated HS in ‘69 so I remember LBJ, the Great Society and the War on Poverty. I remember a joke that Johnny Carson told… Hey! We are winning the war on poverty! Just last week we captured 47 vagrants and 28 beggars! You have to ridicule the stupidity… not that it did any good. In fact, the creation of huge government departments enriched the connected and created an even larger number of poor. Here we are, almost sixty years later and deeper in debt for nothing at all. The lady knew what she was talking about. We are still suffering from the things that LBJ did. Some maintain he did it to keep the poor poor and to expand government. Now we are seeing the same dynamic being exposed in every government department. You know USAID must be bad because of the people who want to keep it going. It’s funny that even the name “USAID” was created to make people think it had something to do with AID, or care or helping. It actually stands for “United States Agency for International Development” which means that we are only aiding the big shots of every stripe… political, religious, billionaires and all their playmates. When you move money the powerful always get their cut. When government agencies move money… the big shots take most of it. Anyway, that’s my third or fourth rant today! Thanks, Joe… I need to take a few days off to let my blood pressure get back down to my new normal.
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 11, 2025 Mike, it’s not an easy task to find Truth in a world full of lies, and it’s not easy to impart with it in an age of imprisonment for “misgendering” your own child and being arrested for a mean meme. Thank you for your inspiration and (above all) your brave and tireless search for the one gift that makes life meaningful – without it, we’re doomed. Reply
Julian D. Woodruff February 10, 2025 Susan, thank you for both of these. As I’ve shown on this site (though not so brilliantly and urgently as you here), my patience with the bishops (and other Christian church leaders from time to time & here & there) also grows thin. I also fear worse is yet to come (although there are definite signs of health in one place & another). For one thing, is it even possible to have an honest, true religion if it is beholden to a secular state that avows religious indifference but tends to practice religious intolerance? Your 2nd is equally impressive–the kind of poem I often wish I could write. You remind me of my preference when it comes to a certain little word: not pronouns (my, your, their), but an article: THE truth. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 11, 2025 Julian, thank you very much for your generous, encouraging, and enlightening comment. I share your concerns. Although things appear to be getting better in some areas and the stem of federal money will curtail some of the insidious idiocy we have witnessed for far too long – many churches have relied on godless sponsors (with their “new normal” government agenda to push) to keep afloat. Congregations have dwindled. Are there enough good guys left to spread THE truth, The whole truth, and nothing but THE truth? I love your “THE truth” observation, and I am hopeful. I believe eyes are opening and many know honesty is the only way forward. One has to understand the problem before a solution can be found. I believe the solution is going to be a painful journey for everyone. Apathy has reigned for far too long. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi February 10, 2025 For those readers who do not know the brilliant satiric work of Arthur Hugh Clough (1819 – 1861), here is his famous poem on the Ten Commandments: The Latest Decalogue Thou shalt have one God only; who Would be at the expense of two? No graven images may be Worshipp’d, except the currency; Swear not at all; for, for thy curse Thine enemy is none the worse: At church on Sunday to attend Will serve to keep the world thy friend: Honour thy parents; that is, all From whom advancement may befall: Thou shalt not kill, but need’st not strive Officiously to keep alive: Do not adultery commit; Advantage rarely comes of it: Thou shalt not steal; an empty feat, When it’s so lucrative to cheat: Bear not false witness; let the lie Have time on its own wings to fly: Thou shalt not covet, but tradition Approves all forms of competition. I have written an essay on Clough’s work at Expansive Poetry Online. Reply
Mike Bryant February 11, 2025 That essay is here: http://www.expansivepoetryonline.com/SalemiOnClough.html Reply
Julian D. Woodruff February 11, 2025 Mike, Thanks for providing the link to Joseph’s appreciative introductory presentation and social commentary on Clough. He is new to me; I wonder if he was known to Tom Lehrer and Michael Flanders, although neither of them wielded the skewer like Clough. On “How pleasant it is …,” I once heard a song setting, by the Russian-born immigrant Julius Kagen, prominent vocal faculty member at Juilliard.
Mike Bryant February 11, 2025 Julian, I found this video on YouTube… audio only of Mack Harrell singing twelve of Hagen’s compositions, including “How Pleasant…”, with the composer, Hagen, at the piano! “How Pleasant…” is at 13:26 of the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ar8OqVPUhI&t=824s Here are the YouTube search results for Sergius Kagen: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Sergius+kagen
Mike Bryant February 11, 2025 Julian, I found a great article about Kagen here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergius_Kagen It does list “How Pleasant it is…” under the list of his music. I believe he must’ve loved setting poetry to music. There are quite a few listed.
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 11, 2025 Joe, what a great essay on an intriguing poet. Most interesting for me was to see how his political and religious beliefs impacted his poetry to such an extent it held his true spirit back for the majority of his works. I’m glad he let his hair down on four fruitful occasions. This is one of the reasons why I have come to love and respect your take on poems being “fictive artifacts” – it gives the poet freedom – liberty to write anything and everything, including provocative and thoroughly entertaining and scathing satire with abandon, for which I am most grateful. I’ve not pushed my satire to the heights of Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”, but… watch this space. Joe, thank you. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi February 11, 2025 Susan, thank you. And all of us at the S.C.P. wait anxiously for your new poetic postings here!
Warren Bonham February 11, 2025 I was thinking about David’s “poetry machine” comment. Most of us aspire to be able to continually churn out perfectly constructed poems of all forms and styles. Not only can you do that but there is also a designing mind behind the mechanistic part of the process that draws inspiration from places most cannot tap into. Brilliantly conceived and constructed contrasting poems. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 11, 2025 Warren, thank you very much indeed for your kind and encouraging comment. I am thoroughly enjoying witnessing your poetry journey. It’s great to see you trying new things. I believe we’re traveling on the same path. It’s a privilege to have you at my side. Reply
James Sale February 13, 2025 Both great pieces Susan: the Bishop piece is especially telling and I love the skill of the rhyming of ‘ashamed’. Even assuming her sincerity – a massive assumption – what a wasted opportunity to communicate with the most powerful man on Earth? Without compromising her own beliefs, she could have reframed it all in terms of Trump’s known interests; instead, she signified her own virtue and played to her own crowd. She has her reward – and the opportunity to make a difference was lost. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 13, 2025 Thank you very much, James. I’m thrilled you enjoyed the poems. I agree with all you say. However, I believe long-term, self-serving charlatans will never be able to connect, or come to a compromise, with anyone who threatens their continued personal enrichment. Their vision is myopic, and their goals are material not spiritual. There is a plus side to this. Those who know right from wrong get to see those who don’t have the best interest of the vulnerable at heart. When the pulpit is smeared with greed, it’s painful to see, as the truth often is, but it’s a gift. With honesty comes clarity – a shining spotlight on the ills of the world. When good people know their origin, something can be done to stem the grief… starting with speaking up and not covering up… just as Jesus did with the Pharisees. Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2025 Susan, both of these poems are incredible, both for their craftsmanship and the points they raise for the reader to ponder. I’m hard-pressed to say which is my favorite so I’ll call it a draw. The Bishop is the modern descendent of all of those corrupt clergy we read about going at least as far back as Medieval Times (I recall Henry II’s corrupt expectations of Thomas Beckett), through the Renaissance, pre-revolutionary France (I’m thinking of Cardinal Richelieu), right up to today. Elmer Gantry (fictional) or the very nonfictional scandals which sank Jim and Tammy Fay Bakker, the high-profile televangelists convicted of fraud in the wake of a sexual scandal cover-up. While I believe most members of the clergy are drawn to the calling because they are decent and spiritually-minded, there is no question that a certain type – a true wolf in sheep’s clothing – sees easy pickin’s in manipulating believers for his own unholy reasons. With this in mind — the fact that this is a recurring theme — the repeating refrain “I’m feasting at the public trough/And I am not ashamed” is truly chilling. Via repetends, it speaks of history of bad behavior which go all the way back. It speaks of violating the public trust. It speaks of self-righteous entitlement, of venality and avarice and hubris and it dares the reader to push back. Well, you have pushed back simply by writing this poem and exposing this violator of God’s trust. Well done. Vigilance must be maintained! Your poem on Truth is quite opposite in tone from the Bishop. You present an apostrophe to the abstract Truth who is slowly revealed to be Christ Himself, the Word made flesh and whose words (and very life) comprise the Greatest Story Ever Told – a story which continues in the telling. I know that this story is not relegated to ancient history because your beautiful poem discloses the “now” action verbs of glimmer, ripple, surge and whisper – all activities which exist in the here and now. And from these Nature words we are then led to a presence of light and the rending of evil. The poem could easily end here with a disembodied abstraction but you bring it home to make very clear the supremacy of God. It’s quite beautiful and a skillful lesson in the slow reveal, similar to the gradual addition of various lights on the stage which ultimately reveals out of the darkness something truly wondrous. As always, Susan, a masterclass in what tremendous gifts are possible in the crafting of poetry. Thank you for these. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 18, 2025 Brian, I thank you wholeheartedly for this appreciative, encouraging and perspicacious comment. Thank you for that list of corrupt clergy throughout history which serves to prove we do not live in unique times. I am particularly taken with this observation: While I believe most members of the clergy are drawn to the calling because they are decent and spiritually-minded, there is no question that a certain type – a true wolf in sheep’s clothing – sees easy pickin’s in manipulating believers for his own unholy reasons. I have had many wonderful experiences with decent and spiritually minded ministers, which makes it all the more important to call out those who take fully-funded advantage of their elevated in-the-name-of-God positions. It sickens me to see it and (as you quite rightly point out) pushback is needed, especially now. I am always aware that my hard-hitting satirical pieces are often tough to digest – especially when it comes to subjects dear to people’s hearts. This is why I paired two contrasting poems. I wanted to end with hope and especially Truth. There’s only one place to find it and those who hear His voice know where to look. Brian, I am always grateful for your fine eye. It’s wonderful when a fellow poet spots the craft of my poetry and the effort I’ve put into a piece, and this time your words are especially welcome. Thank you very much! Reply
