A Friend in Need (Cassius Marcellus Coolidge)

Poem

On the left, he smiles at his own card
And nearly empty drink,
Next to a single red chip.
Unaware of the alliance
Of little ones to the right
Building quite the collection.

The Old Guard looks on
Frustrated, anxious, and suspicious.
The central enlightened figure
Is flanked by his pipers.
They both recognize the threat
Of their little fellow smoker.

The pile of chips is shrinking.
The ace of clubs is missing.
The clock is ticking.
Glasses are draining.

Do the members of the Old Guard
Have the cards to defeat the rising power?
Will hegemony of the green table
Move from paw to paw
As simply as an ace of clubs?
Ask the joker on the left.

I did not use generative AI to create this poem.

Explanation

My poem focuses on my interpretation of the relationships between the dogs in the painting. I present this through a slightly geopolitical lens. The biggest assumption I make is that the table is divided between the Old Guard (the five big dogs) and the little ones (the two small dogs at the front). I also make the assumption that the big dog on the left that appears to be laughing has the potential to spot the little ones’ cheating, but is distracted from doing so. I then express that the power dynamics of the table are shifting, as the little ones are taking power (chips) from the Old Guard. I view the dogs as international powers, competing for global status. In the first three stanzas I try to create a feeling of acceleration by progressively reducing the length of sentences. The last stanza is slower than the previous, and is dominated by its two questions which serve primarily to present the geopolitical theme. The last line refers back to the first stanza, by highlighting the dog on the left. The style of my poem most closely resembles The Man with the Hoe by Edwin Markham.

The Old Guard represents the Liberal World Order, supported mainly by the United States, but also by the rest of NATO, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. I make an assumption in the painting that the Old Guard organized the game of poker, and later invited the little ones, who now exploit the rules. The little ones represent the emerging axis of authoritarian powers, namely: Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and their proxies and clients. The relationship between these two groups is characterized by the rise of the little ones, which is a result of their cheating. The “cheating” of the axis of authoritarian powers includes breaking of international norms, technological espionage, and nuclear blackmail. The big dog on the left specifically represents the United States, which is “distracted” by an isolationist (America First) ideology that prevents it from addressing the emerging threat. Through the last line of the poem “Ask the joker on the left,” I assert that the flow of global power is dependent on the ability of the United States (leftmost big dog) to break free of its distraction. Based on the angles of the painting, it appears that the dog on the left is the only one that would be able to see the passing of the card under the table. This advances my comparison of the “joker on the left” to the United States, as it is more capable than any other free nation to counter the rise of authoritarianism.