• Submit Poetry
  • Support SCP
  • About Us
  • Members
  • Join
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
No Result
View All Result
Home Poetry Culture

‘Trumped by Reason’: A Poem by Warren Bonham

February 25, 2025
in Culture, Poetry
A A
10
poems 'Trumped by Reason': A Poem by Warren Bonham

.

Trumped by Reason

Our elitists loved extolling
all their virtues while controlling
each dimension of all nations
through new laws and regulations.

The more burdensome the better,
and they held us to each letter
of each law while loudly screeching,
and ignoring their own preaching.

Each elitist thought it vital
that each had a fitting title
that we’d call them while appealing
for their help while humbly kneeling.

Once we’d knelt and genuflected,
and they’d solemnly reflected,
they would sanction every motion
made by those who pledged devotion.

We would say our love’s undying,
which involved some harmless lying,
but we trembled in their presence
since we were just unwashed peasants.

We’d been fooled by their appearance
into thinking that coherence
lurked somewhere within each musing
that had always seemed confusing.

Old beliefs have now been shaken
as we’ve started to awaken.
We now see that those who led us
lived like sultans while they bled us.

Whitewashed tombs with faces lacquered,
wielding slogans on a placard,
ushered in a dismal season
that has now been trumped by reason.

We have found someone who sees through
all the modern pharisees who
were just hypocrites who ranted,
but now reap as they once planted.

.

.

Warren Bonham is a private equity investor who lives in Southlake, Texas.

ShareTweetPin
The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.
Read Our Comments Policy Here

RandomPoems

Poetry for Good Friday 2019
Beauty

‘Once’: A Poem for Good Friday, by Jeffrey Essmann

March 29, 2024

. Once Once he was finally dead; once just a piece Of meat nailed to the planks of scabrous wood;...

‘Melancholy Hues (of Autumn)’: an Ode by Paul A. Freeman
Beauty

‘Melancholy Hues (of Autumn)’: an Ode by Paul A. Freeman

November 19, 2024

. Melancholy Hues (of Autumn) ---an ode The third of four trimesters of the yearsees summer flag. The mercury recedesand...

Next Post
poem/rosenbaum/culture

'If I Could but Touch His Hem': A Poem by Rohini Sunderam

‘Old Man at the River’: A Poem by Pamela Ruggiero

'Old Man at the River': A Poem by Pamela Ruggiero

‘Distance Kills’: A Poem by Michael Charles Maibach

'Distance Kills': A Poem by Michael Charles Maibach

Comments 10

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson says:
    1 year ago

    Outstanding poem, Warren, both in structure and message! Such revelations in such a short time as Trump promised and delivered. Still so much remains in the swamp to be exposed. The left must be reeling as they scurry to concealing.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham says:
      1 year ago

      I agree that the job is far from finished. I’m very glad to see that it has finally started.

      Reply
  2. Joseph S. Salemi says:
    1 year ago

    Perfect little quatrains, Warren. Our left-liberal overlords are now quaking in their boots, and it will be pleasant to hear their screams of pain.

    Trump, like myself, is from Queens County in New York. And in Queens we know how to kick ass.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham says:
      1 year ago

      I’m originally from Canada but thank goodness I’m nothing like our current leader. I haven’t spent much time in Queens. It sounds like a lot of people could benefit from spending time there.

      Reply
  3. Margaret Coats says:
    1 year ago

    Sophisticated meter and language, Warren–beautifully done. At one point I almost lost the flow, but when that happens, it’s a pleasure to get back to your well-established rhythm. The words are carefully chosen to imply (correctly) that the people have been asked in the past for unthinking devotion. Elitism has not respected their rational faith in the way government CAN work for them. Instead, there have been too many burdensome laws and regulations, typically confusing and incoherent, administered by hypocritical sultans who treat the populace as ignorant peasants. Now this begins to be corrected and we can renew our faith in government of, for, and by the people, trusting those in office as rational beings with reasonable plans for cleaning up an unholy mess. You have done a good job of controlling the religious imagery to express the righteous and necessary partnership of faith and reason, insofar as it applies to public life.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham says:
      1 year ago

      Thanks! As always, you have eloquently captured the message far better than I could have.

      Reply
  4. Gigi Ryan says:
    1 year ago

    Dear Warren,
    I love the meter and message of your poem. It seems that President Trump was aptly named.
    Gigi

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham says:
      1 year ago

      He always seems to have a trump card up his sleeve somehow.

      Reply
  5. Brian A. Yapko says:
    1 year ago

    An excellent poem, Warren, which pulls the covers off the elitists who have been unreasonably protected for years. As you observe, they have “lived like sultans while they bled us” (great line!) Well, Trump and his administration are now calling them to account and, thank heaven, there will be hell to pay. Let them get what they deserve. And after all the harm they’ve caused us, I feel no shame whatsoever for my schadenfreude.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham says:
      1 year ago

      The amount of wealth that has been accumulated by bureaucrats in Washington should shock everyone who isn’t in Washington. I’m still baffled by the fact that so many “regular” people don’t seem to care.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


  1. Joseph S. Salemi on ‘Religious Poetry, and Religionist Poetry’: An Essay by Joseph S. SalemiAugust 19, 2026

    The takeover of National Review was attempted, but was not successful. The situation was complicated because L. Brent Bozell was…

  2. Norma Pain on ‘Song of the Frog Princess’: A Poem by Scharlie MeeuwsAugust 18, 2026

    What a wonderful fairytale love song which reminded me of childhood nursery rhymes and joyful bedtime stories. Very enjoyable Scharlie.

  3. C.B. Anderson on ‘The Odyssey: Nolan and Solot Compared’: An Essay by Michael CurtisAugust 18, 2026

    I can neither agree nor disagree with anything you have written, because my education has only gone so far. But…

  4. Cheryl Corey on The Society of Classical Poets 2026 Haiku CompetitionAugust 18, 2026

    March. A windy day, a tug-of-war kind of day— kids with kites at play. From spring’s brooklet spawned, jelly-like salamander…

  5. Steve Breyman on The Society of Classical Poets 2026 Haiku CompetitionAugust 18, 2026

    to eliot april was the cruelest month tulips disagree dog got my socks balance declining lunch is served A whale…

Subscribe to Daily Poems

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,613 other subscribers

Recent Poems

  • ‘Star Festival’: A Poem by Margaret Coats
  • ‘Song of the Frog Princess’: A Poem by Scharlie Meeuws
  • ‘The Odyssey: Nolan and Solot Compared’: An Essay by Michael Curtis
  • ‘Solitude’ and Other Poems by Mary Jane Myers
  • ‘The River Not Taken’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko
  • ‘Totentanz’: A Poem by James A. Tweedie
  • ‘In God Is Our Trust’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson
  • ‘Confession’: A Poem by Jeffrey Essmann
  • ‘Religious Poetry, and Religionist Poetry’: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi
  • The Zingers of Adam Sedia: A Review by Theresa Werba
  • ‘A Paradox’: A Poem by Shamik Banerjee
  • ‘A Prayer of Aristotle’: A Poem by Margaret Coats
  • ‘The Sparrow’: A Poem by Michael Pietrack
  • ‘Chemo Refusal’ and Other Poetry by Golan Shahar
  • ‘Deliverance’ and Other Poetry by Peter Venable
  • ‘Rain’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick
  • ‘The Story of a Plague’ and Other Poetry by Michael Robinson
  • ‘Javert Derailed’: A Poem by Zanna Barton
  • ‘People Forget’: A Poem by James Sale
  • ‘Good and Evil’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson
  • ‘The Royal Arse Hortillery’: A Poem on the Spoonerism, by Jeff Eardley
  • ‘Who Hears a Robot’s Prayer?’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko
  • The Society of Classical Poets 2026 Haiku Competition
  • Four Love Sonnets by Adam Sedia
  • ‘Rasputina Confers with Her Cohorts’: A Poem by Joseph S. Salemi
  • ‘Warfare by Remote Control’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman
  • ‘The Passing’: A Poem by Margaret Brinton
  • ‘Of Webs and Whispers’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant
  • Poetry Book Review: Petrarch’s Canzoniere, Translated by A.M. Juster
  • ‘What Folly Dares’ and Other Love Poems by James A. Tweedie

Categories

  • Acrostic
  • Alexandroid
  • Alliterative
  • Art
  • Best Poems
  • Blank Verse
  • Chant Royal
  • Classical Poets Live
  • Clerihew
  • Covid-19
  • Deconstructing Communism
  • Educational
  • Epic
  • Epigrams and Proverbs
  • Essays
    • Interviews with Poets
    • Poetry Reviews
  • Featured
  • From the Society
  • Great Poets
    • Dante Alighieri
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Homer
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Robert Frost
    • William Blake
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
  • Human Rights in China
  • Limerick
  • Love Poems
  • Music
  • Pantoum
  • Performing Arts
  • Poetry
    • Beauty
    • Children's Poems
    • Culture
    • Ekphrastic
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Humor
    • Riddles
  • Poetry Challenge
  • Poetry Contests
  • Poetry Forms
    • Curtal Sonnet
    • Haiku
  • Poetry Readings
  • Rhupunt
  • Rondeau
  • Rondeau Redoublé
  • Rondel
  • Rubaiyat
  • Sapphic Verse
  • Satire
  • Science
  • Sestina
  • Shape Poems
  • Short Stories
  • Song Lyrics
  • Sonnet
  • Symposium
  • Terrorism
  • Terza Rima
  • The Environment
  • Translation
  • Triolet
  • Video
  • Villanelle

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Submit Poetry
  • Become a Member
  • Members List
  • Support the Society
  • Advertisement Placement
  • Comments Policy
  • Terms of Use

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books

© 2025 SCP. WebDesign by CODEC Prime.