The Ballad of a Russian Bot
loyalty’s a fickle beast
by Joe Váradi
The one I called my Russian Bot
(I’ve written of him quite a lot)
is not unknown to you, Dear Reader,
he was once my friend who turned
right-wing neocon ringleader.
You’ll recall how suddenly,
in a blink, it seemed to me,
the 2016 election
brought about the moment of his
stark political inflection.
Before, we’d take walks in the park,
stay up and talk well past dark,
upbringings though worlds apart —
literally — but once we met, were
inseparable from the start.
Overnight, persona changed,
neural networks rearranged.
What odious, shady force
compelled him to sever ties and
so dramatically change course?
Loyalty’s a fickle beast,
allegiance so quick deceased,
ephemeral friendship hardly binds
once you’ve tasted the power
to change not one, but a million minds.
Cloaked in online camouflage,
Hell-bent, he, to sabotage
institutions taken for granted,
and now, the Earth is scorched,
a generation disenchanted.
