Vox Populi
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Robert Wrigley: A Certain Man
He’s especially useful, being vacant, spiteful, and cruel.
What could take advantage even mean, with such a man,
the world’s foremost prevaricating fool?
But then again, man or men? skinner or mule?
Each will act as duplicitously as he can,
but of particular use, this one, vacant, spiteful, cruel.
Now watch time unwind then tightly respool.
What we saw before, just the shadow of a plan,
his, of course, world’s least Shakesperean fool.
For in the loop of this hell there’s a farcical rule,
that says when certain men find a certain man
of use—one that’s spiteful, vacant, and cruel—
he becomes for his purposes the perfect tool
for theirs as well: among those men, that sort of man,
the world’s most deceitful, outrageous fool—
a vindictive, vituperative lord of misrule,
faux king liar, patriarch of a money-sucking clan,
become one day the world’s most powerful fool—
O but of singular use, being vacant, spiteful, and cruel.
~~~~
Copyright 2025 Robert Wrigley
ROBERT WRIGLEY has lived and taught in Idaho since 1977 and is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Idaho. His collections of poetry include The True Account of Myself as a Bird (Penguin, 2022). His most recent book is a collection of essays, Nemerov’s Door, published by Tupelo Press.
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Marty Williams’ comment truly nails it–the “villain” in “villanelle” indeed! Perfect use of this repetitive form. What truth it speaks to power. Bravo!
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Yes, bravo!
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Wrigley is among my favorite contemporary poets and he hits homeruns so often. This poem is right on with its mix of horror and absurdity for the current world we are in.
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Just so, Mike.
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Mr. Wrigley always delivers and this poem, rockus, formal, hillarious, razor sharp, hits like a good boxer’s hook.
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Wild, Edison!
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Wonderful, Bob. Bishop is right about the art of losing. It isn’t hard to master. But the villanelle is most definitely hard to master. One question Who is the “faux king liar, patriarch of a money-sucking clan” the poem speaks of? Oh, wait…. Never mind.
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Bravo. Invective, prophetic, and accurate. Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.
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Perfectly said. Thank you, Alfred.
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Wow! What a beautifully crafted and powerful poem. Agreed. Just as subtle and inventive…thanks for this example of artful truth-telling.
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BTW, I’m unable to ‘like’ anyone else’s comments many of which are great. Is there something I can do about that?
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Sorry, the WordPress platform is very unreliable. I’m dancing as fast as I can.
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I’m sure you are and I appreciate what you offer.
I’d like to like your comment but alas! HaHa
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🖤💥🔥 a villanelle for the villain❗️
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Exactly!
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Perfect!
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Bob perfectly captures the national villain in the villanelle, and his minions, who make him a man, so obtuse, “of use. “
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Well-said, Marty!
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So perfectly “Harked to their gifts with fine intent, till his fingers moved somnambulent …” An artfulness so lovely it almost conceals our grave plight in its beautiful construct. Happily I head into another awful morning of “what’s next,” dressed in a fine suit of poetry clothes.
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Thanks, Sean!
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Amen, Robert Wrigley! It takes real skill to write a political poem that isn’t wooden, and man, you show us how! Bravo.
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POW! as Batman comix used to say. BLAM! Damn, this is a fine way to launch a big roundhouse villanelle!
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Sly satire for a corrupt tool of the oligarchs.
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What an amazing description of a person all of us can identify but never have been able to describe in such a biting, yet poetically beautiful way. What a poem, one to be reread when things will be looking beyond grim. Thanks, Robert Wrigley, for such finesse.
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I agree, Mandy. Bob Wrigley has been one of my favorite poets for a long time. So glad he contributed this new poem of his to VP. He demonstrates to us that political verse can be just as subtle and inventive as lyrical poetry.
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