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Sound and Fury

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I. Of Farcical Requital

He craved the slavish praise his patter wooed.
His slick, linguistic syrup charmed the ear
Of she who shunned the candor of the crude—
A fellow fox who held his fawning dear.
Her honey-butter coos appeased his need
For piffle-fizzing frissons of delight—
A blarney-bloated, tit-for-tattish deed.
They scratched each other’s backs with toady might…
Until their hogwash concord lost its sheen.
One bunkum-stricken, claptrap afternoon
A blazing bolt of truth tore through the scene
Of puffery to pierce their pomp-balloon.
Crapola-caked, they plummeted to earth
To learn just what their weasel words were worth.

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Il. Sticks and Stones

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right
To tell people what they do not want to hear.” —George Orwell

She spewed a slew of filth from fevered lips
To scorch the frigid fringes of the day.
It reeked of dung and stung like snapping whips
On paper skin with fervor meant to flay.
This ghastly glut of smut burst from her gut
To fluster bossy fussers till they fried.
Aggrieved, this triggered tribe began to tut—
The pique of pious cliques won’t be denied.
Her words provoked a vow of swift redress—
A tar-and-feather threat, or fusty cell,
Unless she crooned contrition and confessed.
She spat, “Go fuck a duck and cluck in hell!”
Pearls were clutched; the cosmos was offended—
Exactly as this livid lass intended.

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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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5 Responses

  1. Mark Stellinga

    I hope the inspirations for these 2 terrifying scenarios are not rooted in your personal past, Susan! If they are, how wonderfully satisfied you must have felt after whipping each of these disturbingly-intimidating sonnets up! I’m definitely not going to let Connie read these! Just one friendly criticism – you might wanna think about working on your assimilational skills a wee bit. Both fantastic – as always – 🙂

    Reply
  2. Mike Bryant

    Susan, as your biggest fan — and someone who’s watched the value of free speech attacked over the years — I think this poem says something we all need to hear. “Sound and Fury” doesn’t just entertain, it shows the way free speech has been boxed in from all sides.
    In the first part, you show how false flattery smothers truth.
    In the second, how unapologetic outrage triggers censorship.
    People are either being taken in or they’re shouting out — and honest, thoughtful expression is getting lost.
    It’s a clever, cutting reminder of why the freedom to speak — even when it offends — matters so deeply. You’ve nailed it.

    Reply
  3. Margaret Brinton

    Susan, sometimes a “livid lass” has been too much of a “timid lass”.

    Reply
  4. Joseph S. Salemi

    Wow — these two really kick butt, as we say in Noo Yawk.

    The second poem is very direct in its advice about how to deal with pearl-clutchers who feign moral indignation when they hear what they don’t want to hear. Just tell them to bugger off, since you don’t give a swiving hump what they think. And Mike Bryant is right — this is usually where the calls for censorship originate, although the word censorship will usually be disguised and masked with synonyms like “civil discourse” or “moderation” or “respect for others,” or similar left-liberal chickenshit.

    The first poem is more complex. It clearly is about some kind of sick relationship, marked by flattery, parasitism, or folie a deux. But something happens at the line-nine volta — all the poem tells us is that it was “truth,” and leaves it for the reader to wonder about the details.

    Also, I don’t think Susan Bryant has to work on any “assimilational” skills. She’s an Englishwoman with English habits and English thoughts. The last thing we need in poetry is any more cowardice and timeserving “niceness.”

    Reply
  5. Warren Bonham

    Each line is a carefully constructed gem that when fully assembled packs a very powerful punch. Your sound and fury signify quite a lot. I really enjoyed these.

    Reply

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