Sound and Fury

The half-hour on the stage of Pete Hegseth

Resembled the poor player’s hour in Macbeth.

With ten whole years at FOX to be rehearsing,

He couldn’t improve on shouting and cursing.

He left the podium to strut about

And used some of his time on stage to tout

His book to generals because they’d need it— ,

As if to do their jobs they had to read it.

Based on 18 combat months, his tirade

To decorated soldiers with decades

Of service and experience in command

Was coarse, offensive, truculent, and canned.

In front of them he chose to fulminate

That he thought some of them were overweight.

He told them to cut out the “woke bullshit”

And warned them they must like this or leave it.

Performer and performance, both absurd,

Are fittingly described in Shakespeare’s words:

Macbeth called life itself “a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.”