Abusers III

By Gary Beck

Hunters roam the earth
perversely seeking trophies
of all kinds of animals,
most not dangerous to man.
The few that are fierce
are hopelessly outgunned
by ruthless predators
willing to exterminate
the last of a species
so they can mount a head
on an indifferent wall
mindlessly displaying
the slaughtered victim
so all can admire
the mighty hunter.

 

As We Sink

The trees are green.
Flowers are blooming.
The birds are singing
cheerfully.
It’s hard to imagine
disasters everywhere,
natural, man made.
We can’t control
an erupting volcano,
all we can do
is flee the lava.
What’s more frightening
in a different way
is a bad President
out of control,
wrecking the future
of a declining empire,
callously betrayed
by greedy capitalists
with no concern
for the fate of the people.

 

Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director and worked as an art dealer when he couldn't earn a living in the theater. He has also been a tennis pro, a ditch digger and a salvage diver. 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 and his published books include 26 poetry collections, 10 novels, 3 short story collections, 1 collection of essays and 1 collection of his one-act plays. Published poetry books include: Dawn in Cities, Assault on Nature, Songs of a Clerk, Civilized Ways, Displays, Perceptions, Fault Lines, Tremors, Perturbations, Rude Awakenings, The Remission of Order, and several others.