Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

Motives

War is rarely righteous

most caused by greed,

the lust for power,

economic expansion,

many other reasons,

few are noble.

Only innocent countries

that defend themselves

against foreign invasion

may have honest cause.

Rebels invariably

want to replace

the current system

to gain the benefits

of wealth and privilege.

Patriotic wars

to defend the homeland

from foreign aggression

must be admired

for the resultant sacrifices

from the call to duty.

***

Tomorrow III

The nation lives in fear

painfully revealed daily

as the great separation,

malevolent conspiracy

contrived by the 1%,

or corporate acquisitions

devouring resources

meant to serve the people,

now semi-paralyzed

by implacable divisions

fostered by the media,

following the guidance

of unscrupulous leaders

who gain in influence

the further we’re apart.

The hope of democracy

that many still believe in

seems to erode faster

as the trumpets of hate

resonate in the land.

***

Disorder in the Land

Shootings wreck the nation,

hundreds killed,

hundreds wounded,

one lunatic after another

with a semi-automatic weapon

murdering Americans

in church, school, supermarket,

while those with power

to prevent the demented

from getting guns

refuse to act.

Some claim citizen’s rights,

others in the pay

of the righteous NRA,

with most of us afraid to see

an evil conspiracy

to keep our country distressed

so the lords of profit

continue undisturbed

as they accumulate

more and more wealth

that allows them control

of the people’s fate

***

Assault on Sovereignty

Flights of missiles

devastate the Ukraine

as modern warfare

sweeps the cities

killing civilians,

leveling buildings.

Determined citizens

huddle in the ruins,

listen to their father’s tales

of Nazi atrocities

in World War II

almost forgotten,

until the brutal Russians

launched multiple attacks

that did not prevent

furious resistance

by a united people.

***

America the Bountiful

I can never understand

my peculiar country

where millions are hungry

in a prosperous land,

our dedicated congresspersons

would rather fight each other

than help our needy people,

as millions resist vaccination,

confusing rights and religion

with health considerations.

So many complex issues

defining our nation

that opts for conflict

instead of solution

to urgent problems,

while American casinos

won more money in 2021

than ever before,

setting a record

for unproductivity.

***

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Setu, April 2024