On the ‘Real Star of the World Economic Forum’ and Other Poetry by Warren Bonham

‘The Real Star’ of the 2026
World Economic Forum

—inspired by quotes from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Gavin Newsom believes he’s the be-all and end-all,
but he’s “Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken” doll.
A psycho who does what those with savoir-faire do,
a shell of a man who’s “in over his hairdo.”

He’s proven he knows less than Kamala Harris
about economics, this fact would embarrass
a human, but Newsom’s so filled with ambition,
he couldn’t care less, he is all politician.

He’s joined at the hip to the family of Soros
who, working together, would cause fewer sorrows
if they, and their brethren would just stay in Davos
collecting and handing out more empty “bravos.”

Poet’s Note: The World Economic Forum held its annual event in Davos, Switzerland, January 19-23. Governor Gavin Newsom was the subject of quite a few memorable quotes while at the event. Alex Soros, who now runs the Open Society Foundation that was founded by his father, George, described Newsom as “the real star of the 2026 World Economic Forum.” On the other hand, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described him using more colorful imagery: “Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken” (The handsome serial killer in the movie American Psycho.); “in over his hairdo;” and “he knows less about economics than Kamala Harris, which is a terrible place to be in.”

An Inconvenient 20th Anniversary

An Inconvenient Truth, ironically,
made prophecies that, inconveniently,
did not occur as Al Gore had surmised,
yet he’s still treated as if canonized.

His Oscar-winning film specifically
said Arctic summers would soon be ice-free,
and all the melted water, as it surged
meant major cities would soon be submerged.

But he and his disciples can be proud
that they so deftly mesmerized the crowd.
They’re often wrong, but they know we feel good
when we behave the way they say we should.

We’ve now defused the population bomb
by making certain that each future Mom
learns every baby hastens carbon doom,
so thankfully, few plan to use their womb.

To keep our planet safe, their plan extends
to stopping methane gas from cows’ rear ends.
For protein, we will grow, then pulverize
grasshoppers, crickets, and Black Soldier Flies.

We’re also changing power plants to run
on energy derived from wind and sun,
but neither source produces constantly,
so lights will flicker intermittently.

And all the countries with which we compete
nod vigorously, but we know they cheat,
and burn cheap coal to make the goods we buy
while pumping CO2 into the sky.

With no cows, no kids, and no factories,
the cures they push seems worse than the disease,
which should give pause, but no alarmist cares
since they’re all climate multi-millionaires.

Poet’s Note: With twenty years of perspective, An Inconvenient Truth can now be seen as the film that warned about disasters that stubbornly refused to arrive on schedule. Summer Arctic ice that was supposed to vanish by the mid 2010s is still here, Florida is not an underwater Atlantis, and polar bears missed the memo about their extinction. On a more positive note, Al Gore’s personal fortune has ballooned by hundreds of millions of dollars since the film’s release.

Black Soldier Fly larvae are often touted as the best protein source for the environment. They emit negligible carbon, have a very high protein ratio (40-45% of dry body weight), can be grown using inexpensive feedstock such as manure and other agricultural by-products, and are amongst the most efficient converters of feed (53-58% converted to weight gain). It’s unclear whether they taste good.

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