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News of a Coup

The news of a coup hits the headlines.
No ears prick to listen or hear.
The proof plucked from yesterday’s grapevines
Has dried with the last dusty tear
Of natives once proud of their history
Till tyrants tore roots from their tree
In lands where the truth is a mystery
And only the tricksters are free.

A wizard of lava-tongued wonder,
A weaver of tangerine mirth,
Rumbles of imminent thunder—
A tempest will remedy Earth.
A storm will lash traitorous sinners
Who tainted a nation with lies.
The wise warn there aren’t any winners
In lands mourning logic’s demise.

The TV trots out tales of treason
Too weathered to warrant alarm.
The righteous are robbed of all reason.
The healers continue to harm.
The greedy are gorging with gusto.
The oracles drivel and drone.
The wolfish have stolen tomorrow.
The sheepish are chilled to the bone.

The news of a coup is forgotten.
It fades in the blather and breeze
As something that smells rather rotten
(A something that nobody sees)
Harasses the nostrils of masses
And startles the hearts of a few—
As sickly and thick as molasses,
It chokes every maverick view.

The news of the coup’s barred and buried,
Flagged false by a fact-checking buff.
The wits of the worn and the wearied
Are warped by the gaseous guff
Puffing like smoke from the fires
That scorch grounded notions in flight—
Stoked by the loons and the liars
Who claim what was wrong is now right.

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Utterly Butterless

—inspired by Bill Gates’ new lab-grown butter alternative

She bought a stick of butter from a snake.
She spread a viscid dollop on her bread.
The dairy fairy warned her it was fake,
Yet still she gorged then went ahead and fed
Her honey with a thick and crispy crust
Smeared with lab-grown grease. This ghastly paste
Of spooky goop was slurry none could trust.
No tests. No warnings. Made with waste and haste,
Then greenlit by the gastro-ghouls with glee.
One serpent-sanctioned, frankenbutter bite
And sweetie-pie dipped down on buckled knee—
His grumbling gut knew something wasn’t right.
‘Twas then his lunch and lover lost appeal—
His heart would race for nothing less than real.

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Susan Jarvis Bryant is a poet originally from the U.K., now living on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

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30 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Your vivid scenes are stark and stunning replete with amazing alliteration. There is a creative depth, not just of imagery, but of content and context. Coups and rumors of coups seem to plague the news frequently. Neither would I trust any “butter” coming from a Bill Gates lab. It is probably “microsoft!”

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Roy, as ever thank you for your interest, appreciation, and encouragement. I’m pleased to hear you’re not buying Bill’s bogus butter.

      Reply
  2. Joseph S. Salemi

    These are two very good poems in terms of structure and diction. But I do have to bring up the clarity issue again.

    Let’s start by considering “Utterly Butterless.” It works perfectly because of the epigraph explaining the invention of a new lab-grown butter. The poem’s language and rhetoric and imagery are on fire for the reader because that epigraph provides the spark that ignites the reader’s understanding. When you finish the poem, you know that this new fake butter is a stupid idea.

    That is not true for the first poem. There is no epigraph, and the title is unspecific. We are awash in coups, so which coup is being described here? The left thinks that January 6 was an attempted coup; many of us on the right believe that the rigged election of 2020 was a coup; most of the mainstream media outlets seem to think that Trump’s 2024 re-election was a coup. And many government changes through history can be called “coups”

    As a result, the poem could be read in contradictory ways. Is the poem expressing sarcastic contempt for anyone who believes in a coup? If so, which one? Is the poem expressing anger that real coups are NOT believed in? If so, which ones? Do coups really happen, or are they simply propaganda stunts? I don’t understand if the speaker of the poem disbelieves in coups, or is angry about one that happened, or is warning us against coups.

    An epigraph would have gone a long way to avoiding these uncertainties. If there’s something in The Epoch Times that gives us direct evidence of a specific coup or attempted coup, quote it verbatim in an epigraph.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Joe, thank you very much for your erudite eye and your honesty. I’m glad you approve of the structure and diction of the poems. You hold up “Utterly Butterless” for its epigraph, a spark that lights the poem’s clear condemnation of lab-grown butter. You find “News of a Coup” adrift—its title vague, its subject unmoored amid countless coups. Is it mocking, raging, or warning? A fair critique. I submit the poem’s clarity lies in its universal lament. The poem isn’t about one coup but about how, in a world of lies, every coup is buried by propaganda, leaving citizens worn down by lies and blind to truth. An epigraph could anchor it, true, but risks narrowing its timeless bite. The speaker weaves disbelief, anger, and warning, clear in emotion if not specifics, although there are some subtle hints on the time front. Your call for clarity has made me think long and hard. I’m also wondering if “Utterly Butterless” works without the epigraph, with the lab-grown butter being a metaphor for all things fake.

      Reply
  3. Mike Bryant

    Susan, I love your butter poem and the way you skewer Gates… I sent you the link to his perfidy! But I love “News of a Coup” even more. It reminds me of John Whitworth’s “The Examiners” in the way that you leave the exact meaning up in the air. I don’t believe Whitworth ever told anyone exactly what or who he had in mind, and I know he was asked about it many times.

    Your poem also reminded me of many, many coups and the way that they so quickly fall out of the news. I’ve read that no matter how big the story, the Google hits fall to almost nothing within seven days! People quickly forget about the most serious things.

    A coup should shake the world, but it doesn’t. The news is “barred and buried” and everything continues on just as before.

    No one really wins in this kind of world—not the rulers, not the ruled—because once reason and honesty are lost, everyone suffers.

    Reply
    • Mark Stellinga

      I couldn’t agree more, Mike. To me, a great poem about an ‘exceptionally beautiful day’ does not require the reader to know specifically what day it was.

      Reply
      • Mike Bryant

        Well, Mark, Susan is still thinking about it… she always says that her poems are never really finished.

    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Mike, thank you for your constant support and inspiration. It’s those little nuggets of painstakingly researched wisdom you feed me with that are responsible for a lot of my satirical works. You’ve taught me if one digs deep enough and long enough the truth will appear. I’ve learned just how difficult it is to stare the truth full in the face and then decide what to do with it… satirical poetry always beckons, but only if I’m blessed with incentive.

      Reply
  4. Martin Briggs

    I admire both these poems, but was instantly won over by “Utterly Butterless”, which for me encapsulates the battiness, dottiness, pottiness and nuttiness of those who try to create a market for trash, and waste their time because they can. As for “News of a Coup”, alliteration and assonance can easily become wearisome in the wrong hands; but here they positively enhance what you are saying. Well done yet again, Susan.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Martin, I just love the musicality of the “battiness, dottiness, pottiness and nuttiness” point in your comment – and sadly we are surrounded by trash at the moment. To eat decent, naturally produced food has almost been assigned to our wildest dreams unless we research very carefully the origins of our purchases. It’s especially tough in the US where globally purchased condiments have extra shite and sugar added specifically for the American consumer. I’m glad you enjoyed “News of a Coup” too. Martin, thank you!

      Reply
  5. Paulette Calasibetta

    Susan, your insight and imagery in “News of a Coup” captures the summary of ‘world’ history..,yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Peace like a commodity is precious and rare the nefarious bank on it.

    “Utterly Butterless” expresses the “progressive” destruction of Bill Gates agenda: genocide.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Paulette, thank you very much for your kind comment. I’ve come to learn with politics that the bigger picture tells us nothing changes… sadly. I’ve also learned that anything Bill Gates is involved in should have a skull and crossbones on the label.

      Reply
  6. Mark Stellinga

    Susan, with ‘News of a Coup’ you’ve just torn the scab off a “yuge” festering political wound that ‘I’ve’ definitely not lost interest in. Thank you very much! And I would neither taste nor trust anything Gates has a hand in. Your quite unique true ‘Poetry’ has made me suspect that my Mom’s proclamation that I’m the finest living poet on the globe today is possibly not so. 🙁 Take care –

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Mark, you have made me smile – what a lovely, encouraging mom you have. The world needs more moms like yours. And you are far too kind for your own good!

      I like your take on my “News of a Coup” poem. I will just say this: I haven’t lost interest either, which is exactly why I wrote this poem. The apathy surrounding the evidence collected for nearly a decade – evidence that includes lying under oath to Congress – leaves me cold. This is precisely why I haven’t anchored the poem in the Russia-Russia-Russia hysteria we were forced to endure for far too long. NOTHING of significance has been done about it (in spite of reams of evidence) and I believe nothing of any notable consequence will be done about it. The biggest story in recent American history has gone the way of the Epstein file. I wanted my coup poem to reflect the frustration I feel… and I hope I’ve achieved that. Mark, thank you!

      Reply
  7. Margaret Brinton

    Susan, somehow life seemed rather normal in my Midwestern, mid-century upbringing. How times have changed to the extent that you portray in “News of a Coup”. As a friend reminds me, however, we can still enjoy our daily BREATH.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Margaret, your heartening comment is brimming with wisdom. Even though the Western world I thought I knew has become unrecognizable to me, I still enjoy my daily breath… there are many beautiful gifts surrounding us that we can become blind to if we allow this current insanity to steal our joy. Thank you for reading my poetry and for bringing perspective to my pessimism.

      Reply
  8. Warren Bonham

    Always amazing to awaken to alliteration. I keep trying but obviously cannot come close to your level of mastery. These were both great! I had not yet heard about the lab-grown butter. It reminds me that I saw a story about Beyond Meat being on the verge of a bankruptcy filing. Thankfully, consumers haven’t caught up to Bill Gates yet.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Warren, thank you very much indeed. I’m thrilled you enjoyed them – especially since you write such great topical poems yourself. I’m even more elated to hear that Beyond Meat is on the verge of bankruptcy. If people haven’t wised up to Bill Gates’ ultimate goal by now (and it isn’t pretty) they never will, and judging by the lack of interest in his products, the news is looking good. Warren, thank you very much indeed!

      Reply
  9. Brian Yapko

    Susan, both of these are (dare I say?) bitchily observant and entertaining in the way that we have come to expect from your work. And when I say “bitchily observant” it is not intended as a reflection on your kind character other than to say that when you’re on the warpath you would be welcome at the Algonquin Table for your acid-tongued attacks on all those aspects of modern life which deserve to be skewered.

    You long ago weaponized alliteration and it is on full display in both of these pieces, along with some delightfully vicious imagery. Along these lines, your “Butterless”poem (a delightful title pun in the loss of that cow’s udder) is the easier to address here. You do indeed have a very laser-sharp sightline on “frankenbutter” served up by the “gastro-ghouls.” It’s an awful thing to manufacture oddities out of other oddities and then call it “food.” It well deserves a poetic spotlight.

    Then there is your “News of a Coup.” It’s really a remarkable piece in terms of its tone which occupies a narrow space between detached reporting, lament, sharp criticism and terrifying prophecy. There is much to admire here in terms of verbiage (“a wizard of lava-tongued wonder”) but two things really grabbed me: First were those oracular visions of the future: “Rumbles of imminent thunder—/A tempest will remedy Earth./A storm will lash traitorous sinners/Who tainted a nation with lies.” Second was that stanza in which each line begins with “The…” and which reads almost like a debased Beatitudes – perfectly appropriate to the depressing and depraved subject.

    That leads to the question of subject. I’ve read the comments here with interest and have taken particular note of Dr. Salemi’s criticism. I think he has a valid point if we assume that your poem is now skewering the perpetrators of the Russiagate hoax, as exposed by Tulsi Gabbard (whose image appears with the poem) and consistent with the timing of the poem. On the other hand, I can see how this poem may be more general than Russiagate and may focus on the idea of “coups” in their more abstract platonic sense – in other words coups qua coups. Now this lack of specificity in the poem actually makes sense if the words are indeed spoken by an oracle, as is suggested by some of the language and imagery in the poem. The Oracle at Delphi was notorious for her ambiguity. I am highly sympathetic to your response to Dr. Salemi concerning not pinning the poem to a specific date or year or target because that would de-universalize the poem and possibly give it an artificially short shelf-life. I am also sympathetic to Dr. Salemi’s concern that if one wants to target something satirically, one needs to throw the reader a bone as to what that target actually is.

    I think this is a hard issue to resolve because there are legitimate concerns no matter which way you deal with it. In my own work, I’ve sometimes seen it elevated by being more specific and I’ve sometimes seen it diminished by being so. I wrote a poem about the possibility of Harris winning the election and there’s no question who the target was or what the circumstances were. But that poem obviously had a short shelf-life unless someone interested in the history of the election wants to understand some of the thinking that went into why people voted for Trump.

    Maybe you intend a poem that is not tied to the Russiagate hoax. But then other circumstances make this seem improbable: a) the timing of the poem; b) the subject matter; combined with c) the photograph of Tulsi Gabbard, all of which suggest that this is indeed what you intended. Or at least a reasonable reader might think so.

    Readers are impressionable and sometimes need to be steered into your intention. Because of that fact – especially the poem’s timing in the news cycle – I think I favor a short epigraph which dedicates this poem “to all the people throughout history who have lost their freedom by letting the unforgivable go unanswered…” something like that. That way it becomes part of the poem’s legacy, it doesn’t date the poem per se but it also makes clear that the poem’s timing and presentation are not definitive regarding its meaning. It is more “inspired by” the Russiagate hoax than “about” it. Anyway, those are my two cents on the subject.

    As always, excellent work Susan which I find entertaining and deeply thought-provoking. I never leave your work without feeling like I’ve been given something to admire and something to chew on.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Brian, thank you very much for your close reading and for this generous and penetrating response. Your Algonquin quip made me smile, although I’d much rather have been a fly on the wall of the Scriblerus Club. I appreciate your description of the poems, though I wouldn’t call them “bitchy”so much as unsparing. I try to let the words do their work without softening the sting where it’s needed – not out of malice, but conviction. Indifference is the friend of the foe. For me, poetry is how I choose a side – not to wound, but to witness. Brutal honesty feels like the least I can offer in these tough times we’re living through.

      I’m especially glad you noticed the way the tone shifts between lament, prophecy, and criticism. On the question of subject, you’ve put your finger on the paradox – specificity can sharpen satire, but it can also narrow and date it. Although my poem was prompted by a specific, my choice here was to let the poem speak for itself. In a world where truth itself is contested, the poem’s deliberate openness is part of the meaning. That said, I appreciate your epigraph suggestion, and I’m grateful that you, like me, see both the strength and risk in leaving it unmoored… I’m still thinking this one through.

      And thank you again for your wonderful and much appreciated comments on both poems. If my work leaves you with something to admire and something to chew on, that pleases me immensely.

      Reply
  10. Yael

    Very fine work Susan. Notwithstanding the supplied picture, I read News Of A Coup to be about every coup anywhere since the invention of TV and mass news media in the early 20th century. A coup is a coup and not a fruit, no matter who perpetrates it and who does or doesn’t notice or care about it. Coups are a symptom of the rebellion against God’s order in the cosmos and they all have a common denominator of sin. Likewise, Utterly Butterless, even though it specifically skewers a certain fake product, could also apply to a host of other fake products. Anything which pretends to be something other than what it really is, is likely to be a fake and inferior substitute. If tofu were tasty and nutritious and better than cooked turkey, there would be no need to call it Tofurky and press it into odd shapes. If sugar and artificial flavor saturated soy, almond or oat water were superior to cow, goat or human milk, it wouldn’t be called milk. At least Not Dogs are more honestly named as to what they aren’t, but if they were any good they could stand on their own merit and admit to what they really are.
    As always, I love your word smithing and sense of humor, thank you for the fun reads!

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Yael, it’s always a privilege to hear your take on my poems, especially topical ones. Thank you so much for this thoughtful and insightful comment. I thoroughly appreciate the way you cut straight to the core of both poems. Your observation that coups are ultimately rebellions against God’s order in the cosmos struck me with force. This is something that is becoming increasingly evident to me and is an idea I had in mind when writing my coup poem. I’ve learned, having grown most frustrated with the 24/7 divisive propaganda and the resulting anger and apathy (in equal measure,) just how powerless we are when it comes to shaping political outcomes. Switching off the constant cacophony of talking heads to bask in the bigger and better picture brings me peace. Your “Not Dogs” example brought a smile — all your non-nutritional examples are a perfect illustration of how fakery fails when held up to truth. It’s increasingly difficult to find real food these days. Mike and I make everything from scratch and source our ingredients – and still we have moments of skepticism. How utterly boring and belligerent we’re becoming!

      I’m so glad the wordplay and satire spoke to you and I’m grateful for your epigraph take. Thinking about poetry is my favorite pastime… and this informative comments section has given me plenty to think about. Thank you for playing a huge part in my poetic pleasure.

      Reply
  11. Russel Winick

    The Queen of Alliteration strikes again! I, too, read News Of A Coup to be about multiple events, and found it spot-on in your Susanistic way. Utterly Butterless is a great subject with a great title. I hadn’t heard about this. No tests? Wow! You’ve skewered Gates for sure. BTW, we sometimes get butter mixed with olive oil, and that works for me, though of course it’s not as delectable as pure butter. Thanks for these two fine poems, Poet Laureate!

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Russel, it’s always lovely to hear from your good self – and thank you! You have made my heart and head swell and brought on a bout of diva-like behavior that may well last the whole week… I must warn Mike to steer clear of me until Sunday afternoon.

      Reply
      • Susan Jarvis Bryant

        Russel, please know my diva-moment lasted all of a swift minute before I was jolted back to harsh and humbling reality when I remembered I had tossed out my feather boa, tiara and tantrums some years back. Mike is safe.

  12. Adam Sedia

    I love the driving rhythm that the dactyls achieve in “News.” In “Butterless,” out of curiosity, did you actually brave trying the butter substitute? That perhaps is a more impressive feat than the poem.

    Reply
  13. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Adam, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the rhythm of the first poem – it’s one of those poems that demanded dactyls. As for Gates’ butter substitute, I am sorry to disappoint you – having tried many butter substitutes we’ve been fobbed off with over the years, I have made a decision never to consume butterless butter, meatless meat, milkless milk, and ginless gin. I hope Bill’s bogus butter goes the same way as his Beyond Meat… beyond the reach of the consumer.

    Reply
  14. David Whippman

    Susan, “Utterly Butterless” is a well-crafted sonnet. I had not heard of Gates’s lab stuff (I guess we should call it margarine.) One thing, you can bet that Gates himself and his chums will not be eating it. Just as the elites tell us to stop using fossil fuel as they jet around the world.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      David, thank you very much indeed! And you are right – the fossil fuel rule is only for those who can barely afford to buy it. The jet-zooming, butter-basting, beef-eating elites are above the law. Stay away from mealworms, crickets, and all that’s utterly butterless!

      Reply

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