Poetry

Nicholas Green photo

By

Gary Beck

Pay As You Go

We work hard all our lives

made longer and longer

by miracles of science,

good health practices,

improved genetics.

Yet inevitable decay

arrives sooner or later

diminishing expectations,

reducing the capacity

for meaningful functioning,

cognition abandoning us

to unproductive existence

in long-term care facilities

tending our vacant minds,

the quality of service

determined by ability to pay.

Invasion

A boy and girl

went on a date

seeking a quiet night

rather than raucous club,

blaring rock concert,

drug and booze party,

decided on a movie.

Ten minutes into the film

a lunatic opened fire

with automatic weapons,

killing and wounding many.

The boy and girl were unharmed,

departed traumatized

wondering sorrowfully

why there were no more

places of safety.

Nothing Changes

The French Revolution

pioneered retribution

for an extravagant class

flaunting their wealth

to the needy people,

who reached the breaking point

and attacked the aristos.

It didn’t take long

for human nature

to assert itself

and a new class

of aristocrats

took over the state

and rallied the people,

convincing them

to obey new leaders

for the glory of France.

Nature’s Way

Doves come to my terrace

urgent for water, seed,

but are driven away

by pigeons,

tough city birds

chasing other birds

so they can eat

the unexpected treat.

The doves sit in the tree

crying their mournful cry,

hungry, thirsty,

finally fly in

when the pigeons are done,

then the alpha dove

chases the others

and won’t let them eat.

Sharing

Harm to loved ones

causes such anguish

that it goes beyond self.

The pain to those

your heart is vested in

accelerate your feelings,

magnifying them

out of proportion

to their actual agony,

and after they recover

you are still immersed

in the aftermath

of personal suffering

for those you care for.

Gary Beck

Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director, and as an art dealer when he couldn’t make a living in theater. He has 11 published chapbooks and 3 more accepted for publication. His poetry collections include: Days of Destruction (Skive Press), Expectations (Rogue Scholars Press). Dawn in Cities, Assault on Nature, Songs of a Clerk, Civilized Ways, Displays,Perceptions (Winter Goose Publishing). Fault Lines, Tremors, Perturbations, Rude Awakenings and The Remission of Order will be published by Winter Goose Publishing. Conditioned Response (Nazar Look). Resonance (Dreaming Big Publications). His novels include: Extreme Change (Cogwheel Press) and Flawed Connections (Black Rose Writing). Call to Valor will be published by Gnome on Pigs Productions and Acts of Defiance will be published by Dreaming Big Publications. His short story collection, A Glimpse of Youth (Sweatshoppe Publications). Now I Accuse and other storieswill be published by Winter Goose Publishing. His original plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes and Sophocles have been produced Off Broadway. His poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines. He currently lives in New York City.