Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

So Brief

I am a leaf

blown by the wind

aswirl a moment

I come to rest

after I fall from 

the juice giving tree,

while some foolish leaves

believe they’ll be treed again.

I slowly decompose,

do not fertilize

the famished earth

prevented by humans

preferring neat lawns

to the cycle of life.

*** 

Dread

I live in a land

of unhappy people

faces fixed in frowns

wherever they go,

lips clenched, eyes afraid,

apprehensive

that the present

is better than the future.

***

Last Stop

I no longer remember

where I lived as a youth.

My mind is so erratic

details evaporated.

Strangers visit me

and claim to be family,

but I don’t know them.

Some people in white suits

claim I’m in a nursing home

without the faintest idea

how I got here.

I don’t know if they’re lying

and holding me prisoner.

I don’t like how I’m treated,

but there’s no use complaining.

It won’t make them treat me right.

So I’ll hang on while I can

cause I’m afraid of dying,

but if I keep forgetting

I guess I’ll never notice. 

***

Public Housing

I was born in the projects.

Well, in the hospital,

then they brought me here,

at least I guess so.

I was too young to know,

I live here all my life.

It was good for me.

I had these good friends

Keisha and Shawna.

We did everything together.

Mama yelled at me a lot

but I pay her no mind

Once her boyfriend hit me,

she got rid of him quick.

We attend school

but it’s not so nice.

Some of the kids are nasty.

The teachers don’t like us.

But me, Keisha, Shawna,

we stick together.

This group did a show for the kids.

A lot of grownups come

and laughed like the kids.

The group come back the next week

and taught us theatre games,

circus arts, I learned to juggle

and do lots of fun things.

The Community Center lady

is mean, yells and pinches us,

but not when that group is here.

The kids did a show at the end of summer

for the whole neighborhood.

Lots of people come

to see us do the circus.

I was a lion and roared.

I jumped through a flaming hoop.

Everybody clap for us.

It felt good to be applauded.

Two from the group came back after school

and did fun things with us.

We worked indoors until summer

writing, acting and circus stuff.

The Community Center lady

still be mean to us,

pinch us when no one looking.

The acting lady is nice.

She tell me: ‘Don’t fear failing.

Always keep trying, even if you’re scared.

You’ll grow more confident’.

She right. I am more confident.

The theatre group comes twice a week

during the school year.

At the beginning of summer

they do a terrific show

in beautiful costumes

and everybody love them,

well not the mean lady

from the Community Center.

They come three times a week

and we do a show before school start.

I never really thought about them

cause they always be there.

They always nice, help us do things

and we always have fun.

It be different in school.

Not everyone be nice.

Shawna hit back when kids hit her

and teachers always blame her

cause she speak up for herself:

“I don’t take no shit from those kids.”

It took a few years and I learned

the theatre company was helping us,

but no one else seemed to care.

That nice lady, Nancy,

always talk to me.

When I tell her: ‘It’s not fair.’

she say: ‘That may be true

but you have to build yourself,

so you can deal with what happens.’

I try, but it not easy.

I guess I was about ten

when everything change.

The teachers complain our parents

are burning the Bronx.

I don’t have no parents,

just mama and her mean boyfriend.

She didn’t start no fires.

The neighbors aren’t friendly

and there were lots of bad kids

fighting, stealing, making trouble.

But the theatre company still come.

I learned they’re called ‘Sidewalks Theatre’.

Keisha and I were ten. Shawna eleven

and we didn’t want to be lions,

so Nancy make us assistants

and we work with the young kids.

Nobody force us to work with them

and we don’t go to the Center

with that nasty lady

when the theatre’s not here.

Keisha and me wasn’t kids

when we were thirteen

and the boys think we be women,

offer us money, jewelry, sneakers,

even coke or crack if we sex them.

Keisha and me always say ‘no’,

but Shawna was fourteen, tell us:

‘I want what we see on tv,

so I let boys sex me

if they give me what I want.’

Things be worse at high school.

Teachers look nasty at us,

like we burning the Bronx.

The only ones they treat worse

be the homeless kids

who they make sit in back

and tell us they be homeless

and live in a shelter.

They be worse off then me and Keisha,

but we still get it tough every day.

The boys in high school

want to sex us

and they be in gangs,

dealing so much drugs

they got plenty of money

and want to buy us,

like they bought Shawna

who be a gang girl now

with new clothes, but smoke crack,

so we stay away from her.

Me and Keisha make a promise:

‘Always stick together’.

But when we fifteen

comin home from school

she get killed in a drive-by.

Shawna come to the funeral,

tell me: ‘I be your friend again’.

I know that mean drugs and sexing.

I say no real nice

so I don’t get trouble with her gang.

It hard to be alone

with everything bad around me,

but I still go to Sidewalks Theatre.

I’m assistant instructor,

get paid for each workshop.

It not a lot of money,

but I earn it for work,

not sexing someone

for drugs or sneakers

who don’t be liking me.

The next few years be hard.

No friends, can’t have a boyfriend

or the gang boys fix him good.

They still look at me hard

but they let me be.

Nancy from Sidewalks Theatre

the only one stick by me.

‘No matter what,’ she say. ‘Don’t quit school.’

I don’t want what Shawna got,

so I make sure to finish school.

I graduate when I’m eighteen.

Didn’t listen to guidance counselor,

who told me: ‘Get a fast food job.

It can be a good career move,

Work hard, become a manager.’

Nancy say: ‘Go to college.’ I laugh.

I’m the first one to finish high school.

I start Bronx Community College.

College be a whole new world

and I fit in like I belong.

I didn’t see the theatre group

cause of school and part time job

in the pharmacy department

of a nearby drug store chain.

I deal with people real well,

don’t get angry when they get mad.

My only problem local gang boys

who know me, come robbing the store

and I can’t say anything

cause they know where I live.

I study computer science

and find out I got real talent.

A guy in my class talk to me

he’s real nice, very serious,

plans to go to four year college

and wants more then just to sex me.

He ask me out on a date.

I don’t say it’s my first date.

I like him a lot, he likes me

and we go out after school, weekends.

Things go well at school, work, with Kai.

My computer teacher tell me:

‘Go to a four year college.

You’ll have a great career

in the computer field.’

Work is great. My manager

give me a raise with lots of praise.

And Kai be perfect. I love him.

I never felt this before.

Didn’t think it would happen to me.

Mama and her mean boyfriend

who don’t dare be mean to me now

decide to move back to Georgia

to be with her family.

She want me to come. She crazy.

First time in my life everything good.

She want me to leave all this,

go somewhere in nowhere Georgia,

live with her and mean boyfriend.

Now I know for sure she crazy.

I got my A.A. degree today,

same day Kai got his.

We both going to Lehman College.

I was promoted at work

and I’m the systems manager

with a big raise in salary.

So work good, school good, Kai great.

He move in with me and nervous

about living in public housing,

but Shawna tells gang: ‘Leave him alone.’

I bring Kai to summer workshop

with Nancy and Sidewalks Theatre.

Nancy had him work with shy boys.

He got them juggling scarves real quick.

Later he tell me: ‘Nancy cool.’

That night he ask me to marry him.

I be so happy I ask him:

‘Why you take so long to ask?’

He smile, kiss me. ‘You saying yes?’

I kiss him hard. ‘I’m saying yes.’

We both don’t have any friends,

we get married at Bronx Borough Hall.

The clerk set a kitchen timer

to make a new marrying record,

but we don’t pay him no mind,

too happy being together.

We go for a wedding dinner

to Sams, on the Grand Concourse,

with a DJ playing rap

and delicious Southern food.

We be very happy

no matter what people say

about living in the projects.

We work, go to school, we love.

I get pregnant, find out

we going to have a girl,

make sure it’s cool with my job,

complete the year at Lehman College.

Kai make me promise to finish

my Bachelor of Science degree.

Things go faster and faster.

Seems like there’s war everywhere.

Crazies keep shooting kids at schools.

Everyone worry about jobs.

Me, Kai, baby Keisha be happy.

When Keisha be old enough

she go to Sidewalks Theatre,

do circus arts workshops.

She be a lion in the show

just like her mama used to be.

The mean lady who used to pinch me

still at the Community Center

and Keisha tell me she pinch her.

I laugh to myself that old hag

still be mean to little kids,

but I go there and tell her:

‘Don’t you ever pinch my daughter.

She ever tell me that again,

I have your fat old ass locked up.

Try to pinch tough bitches in jail.’

When beautiful Keisha five years old

she still go to Sidewalks Theatre’s

theatre and circus arts workshops

and Nancy makes her a lion. LOL.

After, Nancy asks shy Keisha:

‘Are you as smart as your mama?’

She nod yes. ‘Then we’ll try to come back

as long as we’re welcome here,

because it’s important to us

to teach your children someday.

***

Voter’s Rights

It’s difficult to get up,

wash, dress, go out

to my polling station.

I wait on line a long time.

I’m very achy.

When I reach the registration desk

the volunteer is older than me,

but he’s cheerful, efficient, helpful.

I go to the fill-in stand

and review the ballot,

only judges for reelection

with no opposition.

As long as these judges

get even one vote

they will be reelected,

another example

of democracy in action.

***

---

Setu, July 2025

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

Greed

The glaciers are melting.

The seas are rising.

Storms get bigger,

far more destructive.

Wild fires get wilder,

drought across the land,

natural disasters

increasing daily,

but the powers that be

will cease to profit

if we take urgent steps

to avert climate change,

preferring the collapse

of our environment,

rather than give up

exercising power,

wallowing in comforts.

***

Economic Threat

American railroads

once the only sure way

to cross the country,

have been mostly replaced

by impatient passengers

with airline travel.

But railroad owners

are making record profits

hauling vital freight

that keeps the nation going,

yet they will not fairly share

the money that enriches them

with railroad employees

who get almost no sick time

while giving their best

to demanding jobs.

Though most unions in our land

have lost power to the bosses

if the railroad workers strike

they will paralyze the nation

still struggling with inflation,

as well as other burdens

in a time of division.

***

Polluted Minds

It’s midterm Election Day

and unlike years ago

when people did not know

who they would vote for

until the last minute

when they reached the polls

today we are certain,

the country so polarized

most of us are decided

not always for good reasons,

some full of anger and hate

spewing ugly theories

of evil conspiracies

plotting to enslave them,

encouraged by a few

who want to end democracy,

replace it with autocracy,

so they can tell us what to do

then compel us to obey

either with illegal laws,

or unjustified arrests,

urgent to shatter the idea

of a free society.

***

Systemic Failures

Winter will be coming soon.

We lack fuel for power, heat

and our leaders are away

on luxurious vacations,

or going through the motions

of pretending to govern.

We don’t know how to get help

as our suffering gets worse.

When freezing weather arrives

many of us will perish,

especially the aging,

while righteous politicians

continue their promises

of aid in our time of need.

***

United We…

The pressure on Americans

continues to accelerate

undermining security

until we are so distracted

from the problems of the future

that we neglect the procedures

to ensure a safe tomorrow.

So many threats that affect us:

Covid, hurricanes, Monkey Pox,

wild fires, resurging polio.

The chaos of our politics

prevents agreement, compromise,

leaving voters in confusion

about the real issues we face,

instead demanding we take sides

with one of the disputing groups

rather than cooperating

to achieve vital solutions

to the impending disasters

that will devastate our nation

if we do not join together

and end the dangerous impasse

that will destroy the promised dream.

***

---

Setu, February 2025

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

New Landlord

The scaffolding gets higher.

Soon it will reach my windows

and they’ll do the same thing 

they did to Miss Perez,

cover them with plywood sheets

so she didn’t get any light.

She held out for a while,

then gave up and moved.

I have nowhere else to go

so I’ll try to hang on here,

even when they seal me in

as if I’m in a crypt.

I looked up on Google

landlord techniques:

‘how to get rid of

undesired tenants’,

so I’m preparing

for what they’ll do next.

I’m stocking up on water

for when they cut the water.

I even have sealable bags

for when I can’t use the toilet.

I have lots of power bars,

other kinds of dried foods

so I’ll be able to eat

when they stop the elevator.

I don’t dare leave the building

cause there might be an accident

that destroys the entrance.

I made arrangements

with my Pro Bono lawyer

to bring suit against them

if they cut the power.

Until then I have my Ipad,

internet services

and I’ll hold out for a long time.

If they want to get rid of me

all I want is enough money

to live the rest of my life

without becoming homeless.

If they’ll do that

I won’t go happily,

but I’ll go.

 

***

Viewpoint

Most of the guys I grew up with

are dead, or in prison,

mostly forgotten

except the few who made it big.

One guy is a famous rapper,

wears fur coats, diamond rings,

has a big posse

that follows him everywhere

in expensive limos.

One guy is a big drug dealer,

wears fur coats, diamond rings,

has a big posse

that follows him everywhere

armed with automatic weapons,

travels in armored SUVs.

I don’t think of them much

while driving the bus

five nights a week,

four to midnight

on a Queens route

far from where I live.

Sometimes, riding home late at night,

I’m tired from wrestling the big bus,

taking shit from everybody

so I don’t get written up

by an undercover rat

looking for violations.

It’s usually not too bad,

except at rush hour

when drivers get crazy,

passengers crowded together

afraid of catching Covid,

a weirdo acting out.

But the pay is alright

and the benefits are good.

I got eight more years

til I get twenty

and retire with a pension.

The boys’ll start college soon,

but I worry about Keisha

hanging out with black activists

doin what she thinks is right,

pushing me to get involved.

I made a choice

to get a secure job,

not do crime, not die young,

so my kids will have a chance

to do better than me.

We don’t talk much,

but I guess they understand

we’ve got a pretty good life

in a difficult country

that gets crazier and crazier.

Something’s real wrong

when people go nuts,

are full of hate,

shoot up schools and churches

until no one feels safe.

I don’t like to think of that stuff.

I’ll just do my twenty,

maybe a few more years

for a bigger pension

and stay out of trouble.

But once in a while late at night,

going home in the subway,

I think of the rapper, the dealer,

with a little envy for what they got

that I’ll never get.

 

***

Jitters

I trudge down Covid streets

masked, distancing,

though others don’t,

not meeting people’s eyes –

can I catch it with a look?

Alright. I know that sounds nuts,

but I don’t want to catch it.

I have to go shopping –

I didn’t stock up on food

and the store’s always crowded,

not shoulder to shoulder,

but it always feels too close.

It’s driving me crazy.

I’ll have to make changes.

I’ll order food on-line,

won’t go out anymore

until the disease is gone

and hope I survive.

***

Household Crisis

I go to the store

for the week’s supplies.

Prices went up again.

I have to buy enough food

for four people.

The kids have to get

basic nutrition.

Bill has to eat well

to have the energy

to drive for Uber.

So I make good meals

with rice, spaghetti,

other basic foods

supplemented with 

hamburger meat.

But everything

keeps going up,

so I have to choose

where I can save

in order to provide

three meals daily.

Everyone’s been patient

and haven’t been complaining

about the lunch menu,

peanut butter and jelly.

But I don’t know what we’ll do

if the prices go up.

We can’t cut back on rent,

utilities, insurance,

so we’ll have to eat less

until the government

finally does it’s job

and controls inflation.

***

Fragile Rights

In 411 B.C.

Athenian oligarchs

overthrew democracy

and murdered opponents

who might have resisted  the coup.

Despite its imperfections

the ancient government

was a miracle

of human engineering

that allowed people to rule

who formerly obeyed

chiefs, warlords, or kings,

without voice in affairs of state.

It took a long time

for democracy

to appear again,

always perilously frail

like America today,

dangerously divided

by conflicting groups

unable to compromise

for the good of the people,

positions so extreme

we are adversarial

rather than cooperative

and can’t deal with the problems

diminishing the prospects

of a prosperous future

for too many of us.

Meanwhile madness pervades the land

as lunatics and haters

go on shooting rampages,

once inconceivable

now condition normal,

except those victimized

and the quality of life

continues to decline

for too many of us

beginning to fear

there is no reconciliation.

***

---

Setu, September 2024

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.

***

---

Setu, April 2024

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

User Quest

Another rainy day.

I sit in internet cave

restless, nervous, frustrated,

surfing different sites,

happy for delights,

on some of the sex apps,

but quickly lose interest,

not in the mood.

I tried some streaming shows

and found a movie

about a hot assassin chick

who traveled the world

murdering her targets

in wild, violent ways

and watched the blood flow,

as I killed time.

***

The Perfect War

The remote conflict

in Afghanistan

against the Taliban,

a relentless foe

that will not surrender,

even if we’re there

another hundred years,

is the ideal enemy

that won’t make peace

unless they can establish

Sharia law.

Our volunteer army

can try new technology

on the battlefield

without a protest storm

domestically.

This isn’t Vietnam

with millions of draftees

fighting peasants

and the worst we could do

was to call them commies,

as our massive military

destroyed their country

that they would not surrender.

So keep our forces there.

Let them learn the art

of modern warfare

with little to lose except

ignominious departure,

familiar to Brits, Russkies,

who slunk away before us.

*** 

Mental State

Many Americans

refuse vaccinations,

saying: ‘God will protect us’,

‘it impinges on our freedom’,

no rational explanation

in a dumbing down country

failing to keep up with

the Information Age,

painfully separating

those who can master

the new learning

from those who believe in

trickle down economics.

***

Twisted Beliefs

Denial of facts

is a mental disease

causing instability

in troubled minds

who refuse to accept

there was a Holocaust,

men walked on the moon,

children were killed in school.

Deniers exist

in alternate reality,

believing what they want,

rejecting what they don’t,

actual occurrences

only acceptable

if they conform

to twisted minds.

*** 

To the Unknown Artist

Contemporary artists

Cannot conceive

how easy they have it

compared to painters of old.

Today they shop

at the art supply store,

purchase acrylics,

pre-stretched canvases,

all kinds of brushes

and complain bitterly

they don’t have representation,

struggle for space, income

and envy successful artists

who made it big.

A little detachment,

philosophic attitude

might make them realize

few starved to death,

or go mad anymore

tormented by creative demons.

If they thought about

the ancient cave painters

who invented everything,

colors, structure, technique,

the list goes on and on,

they’d recognize

those guys didn’t have tv

or music of choice

and accept the harsh fact

that only a few succeed

out of thousands of aspirers.

***

---

Setu, November 2023

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

America Unfurled

Americans learned early

how to steal land from others

from British colonists

who quickly evicted the Dutch,

unwilling to let foreigners

occupy the tempting frontier

of the new world,

which they wanted for their own

without the faintest idea

of the size of the vast continent.

As more colonists arrived

they settled, needed more room,

then began the long usurpation

of Native American lands,

taking when strong,

negotiating when weak,

a pattern cleverly employed

until the colonies were strong enough

to dispute ownership with the French

and forcibly expel them.

As the colonies flourished

the British Empire grew,

spreading across the world

by conquest, trade, or both

a lesson to watchful colonists

conveniently gifted 

with the same genetic urge

to acquire land from others

on some occasions peacefully,

but almost always by war.

When the great separation began

between colonies and motherland

the King and Parliament were shocked

by the revolutionary fervor

of the graduate students

of advanced acquisition,

who thoroughly understood

that when someone grabs illegally

they establish a precedent

for others to grab illegally.

Thus began the great leap forward

as founders of the new nation

quickly consolidated the gains

from the recent revolution,

digested that they had defeated

the strongest empire in the world,

which sent a jolt of confidence

coursing through the covetous veins

of land hungry occidentals

willing to kill for their own farms.

The snatching of other people’s lands,

became the object of existence

for all those able to snatch

a new homestead, a new life.

And always distantly unseen

the men of wealth and hunger,

whose only mantra was more, more,

manipulated the masses

with pronouncements from Washington

like ‘Manifest Destiny’.

So we got rid of the foreigners,

Russians, French, the Spanish,

so we could concentrate efforts

on removing the Indians

who interfered with expansion

preventing exploration,

mining, farming, trade, settlements,

constricting acquisition of more,

so obstacles of progress

had to be eliminated.

Our fundamental greed

brought irreconcilable groups,

Northern industrial magnates,

Southern agricultural barons,

into inevitable conflict,

over who would rule the new empire.

When compromise was exhausted

they resolved their differences

in a bloody civil war

that ended Southern gentry rule.

Control of the future

of the partially battered land

liberally decided

by the use of gunpowder

the new lords of profit

knew few restrictions

in using the economy

to fund the fundamental urge

to acquire the land of others,

more by war then peacefully.

Reconstruction in the South

raised a new class to wealth, power,

then infected them with hunger

for the lands of others,

defeating the Sioux, Apaches,

until there was only one rule

from the Atlantic Ocean

to the Pacific Ocean

with increased appetite for more.

In our first offshore venture

we quickly assaulted

the crumbling Spanish Empire,

establishing our empire

in the Caribbean,

then in the Pacific.

And the new captive people

needed the benefit

of democracy,

enforced by the gun.

So we surprised the old dogs

in Europe and Asia

by displaying our power.

But they knew we were children.

When they exhausted themselves

in the biggest war ever,

they thought they outsmarted us

in the treaty of Versailles,

yet they never realized

we learned to fight a world war.

The ‘Great Depression’ shattered lives

of millions of Americans

who couldn’t drink legally

to forget their troubles

courtesy of the Volstead Act

that gave birth to organized crime

illicitly providing,

the booze that everyone craved,

generating enough wealth

to corrupt our government.

Yet the long soup kitchen lines

of the desperately hungry

dominated the media

and Hollywood pictures,

but concealed new factories

that began to produce

steel, oil, automobiles,

while our growing agriculture

began to feed a starving world,

adding to our wealth and power.

The seekers of expansion

ordered their armies to march

into weaker countries 

that could not resist

modern war machines.

Soon the world was engulfed

in devastating conflict

as invading hordes

ravaged the conquered,

looting captive nations.

Some foreign autocrats

did not realize

industrious America

created a mighty system

to produce massive amounts

for the necessities of war.

One peaceful December morning

when we were bombed into action

we quickly built ships, planes, tanks, guns

that defeated our enemies.

After a few bloody years

we inherited the earth,

inhabitants exhausted

by ravages of modern war.

Our legions camped in other lands

ensuring the new order

of economic dominance

would not know interference

as our sales of oil, steel, cars

did not have competitors.

So we rebuilt Japan

and rebuilt Germany,

challenged surly soviets,

reveling in the profits

 of glorious victory

as the dollar ruled the world.

When millions of soldiers

came back from World War II,

factories closed, they went to college

and became the middle class.

The cunning lords of profit

driven by relentless greed

successfully removed

those who would fight the bosses

for a fair share of earnings,

replaced them with a new class

that sat behind desks, computers

and became so prosperous

they would not risk losing all

in an idealistic fight.

Within established ‘Cold War’ rules

that ensured it wouldn’t become hot

we sent the legions to Vietnam

to preserve democracy.

As our youth were bleeding, dying

in a far off Asian land,

youth and supporters at home

vigorously protested the war,

alienating the true blue,

bitterly dividing the nation.

The ‘Great Schism’ distracted us

from innovative business deals

closing most of our factories

that cost too much to retool,

paid our workers too much

and offshored them abroad

where they didn’t pay taxes

and paid low wages

abandoning America

to make greater profits.

The protests of the Vietnam War

that divided the nation

made the lords of profit rejoice.

Instead of an aware people

following the affairs of state,

the media told the nation

we had become two opposed groups

each with their own agenda,

far more important to them

then the fate of our country.

Many citizens believed

republicans or democrats

knew what was best for our land.

Each party had mouthpieces,

media propagandists,

who told us what we should know.

They weren’t allowed to tell us

the 1% hired both sides

to keep us polarized

while the rich grew richer.

The evidence of betrayal

of the American people

is carefully concealed

so we argue with each other

as we grow poorer and poorer,

our land grows weaker and weaker,

since the rapacious 1%

are no longer invested

in the future of our land,

while their wealth is in other lands.

Our tragedy, America,

is that an indifferent few

determine the fate of many,

abandoning our tomorrow

by amalgamating our wealth

while impoverishing our land,

eroding our security

as we face many foreign foes,

while we do not realize

our empire is crumbling. 

***

Extinction Path

We do not go

into the streets

the way we used to,

fearing the virus

evolving faster

than our mindsets

dealing with it.

The plague on our land

dividing us,

as everything else

divides us,

revealing our failures,

as many prefer

a million deaths

to compromise.

*** 

Triumph

It’s not a rumor.

It’s true.

The infidel Americans

are finally departing,

defeated

by the holy warriors

as we defeated 

the infidel Russians.

Despite their tanks, drones,

helicopters,

the vaunted technology

that can never conquer

men of faith.

Now that we have our country

we will use it as our base

to bring Sharia

to the entire world.

God is great.

***

Failing Wings

I am old and tired.

Soon I won’t be able to fly,

then I’ll die.

There used to be many Grackles

soaring and displaying

in fields and towns

before humans drove us away

from feeding grounds.

So we went to the shore

where for a while

we entertained humans

walking fast on our long legs,

flashing our lustrous tails.

But there are fierce competitors,

gulls, pigeons, crows

who drive us away.

No one notices as we disappear

and it’s as if we never were,

for no one ever sees

a dead Grackle.

***

---

Setu, June 2023

Poems from Unveilings*: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

My Troubled Land

America was only good

for some of the people,

some of the time,

but it was still better than

any other land.

Now, for the first time

in the history of the republic

an authoritarian President

who wasn’t reelected

claimed the election was stolen

and millions of his followers

supported his assertion

of fraud in the voting process,

although no documented proof

was ever presented.

Despite a last minute putsch

to prevent the new president

from being certified,

somehow democracy prevailed

a new occupant

moved into the White House

and began business of the state.

Yet the former president

still professes he was robbed

and many agree with him,

although the courts denied the claim

and they still show no evidence.

Some nations are ruled by ‘The Great Lie’,

which led to horrifying World Wars

that destroyed nations, cultures,

and now threatens our land.

Human nature brings to the surface

certain types of the ambitious

so urgent for money and power

there’s no traffic with decency.

Corruption becomes the tool box

to deal with business, government,

tempting, bribing, manipulating

those too weak to resist

the exertion of pressure

to collaborate with evil.

We have always been this way.

The strong lead. The weak follow.

When our leaders are good

many benefit and flourish.

Too often our leaders are bad

and jeopardize existence.

America, once beautiful

is at a turning point,

divided as only once before

when a great civil war

brought death to so many.

Yet out of the ashes of conflict

the nation reemerged,

became greater and greater,

until we ruled the world

with guns and dollars.

Then decay set in

and the lords of profit

neglect the needs of the people,

neglect the needs of the nation,

building corporate tyranny

that no longer pays taxes

to support the government.

We are on a steep precipice

with frightening imbalance

that we may not survive

when we’re so disunited

in a world of enemies,

ruthless competitors.

Our resources to meet challenges

foreign and domestic,

diminish drastically.

We may no longer have the means

to meet the next national crisis.

With all our failings

we were the best empire ever,

demonstrated by the help

we always gave to those in need,

always forgotten afterwards

by the bitterly resentful

who never realize

no one will ever

be more benevolent,

help more generously.

***

 

Submergence

Winter winds scour the city

driving citizens indoors.

except the homeless

sentenced to the sidewalks,

cardboard signs pleading;

‘Help a veteran’.

‘Blest are the givers’.

Psalms of disintegration

proclaiming need,

diminishing help

threatening survival.

*** 

On the Warpath

We send our troops to Iraq,

Afghanistan, Syria,

complicated lands

not like the old days

to fight Jerries, Japs, commies.

Now it’s armies, militias,

clans, tribes, sects

united in resisting

our volunteer force

that no longer questions

why we’re there.

Some say they’re bringing freedom.

Few seem to know they’re fighting

for rampant capitalism,

the right for profit

at the expense of others.

Unlike wars past

when soldiers believed

they had a cause,

now they go where they’re told,

kill who they’re told,

are in constant peril

from an implacable foe

who ravages our boys and girls

unprepared for relentless assault

from men, women, children,

who dispense death

in unconventional ways.

Our battered children

return home devastated

from inexplicable conflict

not covered in training

for our cultural innocents

recently at high school proms,

while the children of hardship

were nurtured on AK-47s, I.E.D.s.

They never had little league, ballet class.

Our children return home

suffering from P.T.S.D.

and we do not comprehend

the horrors they saw,

since we still have security,

public safety from ambush,

and we are bloated with comforts

and no longer ask

why our troops are there.

*** 

We’ve Always Had Artists

The storyteller in the cave

recounted the glory of the hunt,

when little men with spears

brought down the mighty mammoth.

The strange wall painter

looked at differently,

until he filled the cave

with wondrous images.

Then they were few,

not as important

as hunters, gatherers,

the clan healers.

But they were seen, heard,

enriched lives,

easily understood

in simple times.

Unlike the present

life grown so complex

our species so numerous

we are beyond hunting/gathering.

And as life for many

becomes so detached

from day to day existence

artists are no longer tribal.

They who had identity

in the confines of the caves

have lost their magic,

exiled from our hearts.

***

*Unveilings is an unpublished poetry collection that requests a look at the human condition

Bio: 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 32 poetry collections, 14 novels, 3 short story collections, 1 collection of essays and 5 books of 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, Contusions, Desperate Seeker and Learning Curve (Winter Goose Publishing). Earth Links, Too Harsh For Pastels, Severance, Redemption Value, Fractional Disorder, Disruptions, Ignition Point, Resonance and Turbulence (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Double Envelopment). Motifs (Adelaide Books). His novels include Extreme Change (Winter Goose Publishing). State of Rage, Wavelength, Protective Agency, Obsess and Flawed Connections (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Still Obsessed). His short story collections include: A Glimpse of Youth (Sweatshoppe Publications). Now I Accuse and other stories (Winter Goose Publishing). Dogs Don’t Send Flowers and other stories (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Essays of Gary Beck (Cyberwit Publishing). The Big Match and other one act plays (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume 1 and Plays of Aristophanes translated, then directed by Gary Beck, Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume II and Four Plays by Moliere translated then directed by Gary Beck (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume III). Gary lives in New York City.

---

Setu, October 2022

Theater Musings Discoveries of Stagecraft: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

As the Artistic Director of an off-off Broadway company staging the classics in the 1970s, I faced difficulties that theater professionals will be very aware of. One area in particular was the mixed quality of actors willing to work for token payment, with demanding standards, in an ongoing ensemble process. A further complication was an unusual production commitment of months of rehearsal, workshop performances, then touring colleges and culturally underserved communities, finally a six week run at our theater. In my particular process I generally worked in different periods for two years, Italian Commedia, French Baroque, English Restoration, ancient Greek drama, etc. Ideally I wanted the actor’s commitment period for two years, almost inconceivable in American theater. But congress abolished the draft, and the press gang was passé.

I was fortunate to always have several talented, capable actors who stayed with me for years, functioning as a nucleus for the company in each production cycle. However, in order to do large cast classics, I had to accept actors of minimal qualifications. Since I was working with  a company, it was imperative to introduce the newcomers to an intense process that compelled them to commit to the company, or depart. It was virtually impossible for an ongoing Off Off Broadway company, an anomaly in itself, to get good older actors. The able ones wouldn’t work for token payment and long hours, as well as an extreme time commitment to the production schedule.

Of course there was an extensive supply of retreads, retirees from the corporate world who suddenly decided to become actors. They had no conception that it takes years to develop the craft. These carpetbaggers could possibly work in tv commercials, or superficial showcases, but they were totally unsuitable for serious performance. I found myself playing Pantalone, Gorgibus, Blepyrus, invariably old fools, since I couldn’t find a better old fool. This was a tremendous investment of my time and energy that took me away from some of my other commitments. I had many demanding obligations, but my love of performing made the opportunity a wonderful compensation.

In a long on and off directing career I hadn’t done much acting, filling in if someone was sick, AWOL, possessed by the devil... So I saw the stage in an entirely new perspective as an actor. Suddenly I had questions that never came up in my director studies: How do you manage the pace of a play without music? How do you regulate the stage energy to maintain the fabric of the play from beginning to end? How do you compensate for weak actors, frightened actors, willing but inexperienced actors? I confronted many other questions about stage life and functioning.

I was reminded very quickly that the stage was a challenging environment with no tolerance for dysfunction. The play demanded full participation from every actor, or it would suffer deflation. As I have seen in many shows there were actors who were afraid, who not only didn’t contribute to the stage life, but were even a negative presence. That was rarely the problem with my company, because the actors wanted to be there. They just may not have been able to produce the requisite contribution to the life of the play. I found myself exercising skills like lending focus, projecting energy, sending benevolent theta waves to struggling actors, maintaining a pace and rhythm that kept the play moving properly, as well as many other devices that helped sustain the world of the play.

One situation that occurred occasionally was an actor who was excellent in rehearsal, but couldn’t function in performance. Rather than have them deplete our efforts, I chose to make them virtually invisible on stage by focusing energy and attention elsewhere. This left them as non-negative, virtual occupants of the space, who could not contribute to the world of the play, but did not subtract from it. It became very simple for me. If I looked at an actor onstage in character and they weren’t properly responsive in character, I sought stage life elsewhere, putting the need of the play ahead of the problem of the actor that prevented good performance. I don’t know if any of the actors rendered invisible were aware of what happened. No one ever said anything to me. I never discussed it with anyone.

It was a great treat for me to work as an actor. The down side was I had so many ongoing demands that I could put little time into the preparation of my characters. I always made sure that all the other actors were progressing satisfactorily. One amusing incident occurred in our production of Sophocles’ Antigone, a timeless play that can always reach audiences if presented with passion, vitality and confident characters. I played Tiresias, the blind prophet, and for a change wasn’t an old fool. One complication was that a BBC production of Antigone was to be aired on tv the Sunday evening before we opened our show on Tuesday evening.

For several weeks some of the actors fretted that they would be unfavorably compared to a big budget production, with prestigious British actors. A few were not consoled when I told them: ‘It doesn’t matter what they do, we are still going on’. One irony was that Tiresias was to be played by Sir John Gielgud, (or one of the Queen’s knights). I didn’t waste a moment worrying, or even thinking about him. No matter what, I always tried my best, so I never felt bad if I failed. But I did assume I’d be unfavorably compared to Sir John. I had a similar experience once before. A noted Broadway critic was pleased to tell me in critiquing our production of Aristophanes’ ‘The Birds’, that I wasn’t Zero Mostel. Fortunately I never suffered from mental illness, or was trapped in a delusional state and believed I was Zero Mostel. I certainly didn’t resemble him. I had no doubt who I was.

The Sunday broadcast of Antigone turned out to be a sonorous declamation of excellent diction and poise, typical Brit performance, with a total absence of passion. It was closer to a well organized reading, rather then a vital play. Of course I assumed their ornate production would set a standard for audiences unfamiliar with Greek drama. Our production was so different that by opening night the company was confident in our show, for which we thanked the goddesses of Athens.

I had an interesting experience as Tiresias. I didn’t have much time to do character work and just assumed the righteous mantle of an outraged prophet, denouncing the dangerously stubborn Creon who was heading for disaster. As I made my blind way onto the stage everything I had prepared felt completely wrong. I had worked with the very talented actor playing Creon many times. I knew he would deal with a new presentation effortlessly. Instead of being outraged, I was lovingly disappointed in his rash actions, and gently tried to make him be reasonable. In fact, this gave Creon much more scope to be distraught, rather than angry, which would have resulted in two characters shouting at each other, a sterile stage activity. My immediate reward for this inspired change was a member of the audience called out: ‘You tell him, preacher’.

In an era of hi-tech film and tv dazzling audiences with special effects, it is exceedingly difficult to create stage beauty without sufficient funds for the visual elements of production. It is even more challenging without highly capable, talented, well-trained actors, only found by unusual coincidence Off-Off Broadway. This led me to develop my own process to prepare actors to work as an ensemble. It was very clear at the beginning of each cycle when I added new members to the company that this was my best option to do the level of work I aspired to. My intention was not to teach actors, all of whom had attended college drama programs, but to prepare them to work together in a format that would allow mutual support and participation in sustaining the world of the play.

I auditioned new prospects with a demanding process that went well beyond a monologue and reading. Some actors consulted former auditioners to better prepare in order to feel confident and look good, often without any intention of joining the company. This was a not infrequent practice by many well paid bartenders, more comfortable dispensing drinks then delivering lines. Some actors got through two callbacks and when I interviewed them and described my work process assured me they worked like that in college. I started new actors on a two week trial basis, which gave both of us the opportunity to decide if we were right for each other. The college citers rarely got past the first rehearsal, which put highly intense demands on them to function or depart. There was a variety of challenging mental, physical and emotional exercises, some of which caused the candidate extreme stress that precipitated a rapid exit, stage right. The lambs from protected environments were unprepared for the wolves of reality, Off Off Broadway.

***

Bio:

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 32 poetry collections, 14 novels, 3 short story collections, 1 collection of essays and 5 books of 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, Contusions, Desperate Seeker and Learning Curve (Winter Goose Publishing). Earth Links, Too Harsh For Pastels, Severance, Redemption Value, Fractional Disorder, Disruptions, Ignition Point, Resonance and Turbulence (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Double Envelopment). Motifs (Adelaide Books). His novels include Extreme Change (Winter Goose Publishing). State of Rage, Wavelength, Protective Agency, Obsess and Flawed Connections (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Still Obsessed). His short story collections include: A Glimpse of Youth (Sweatshoppe Publications). Now I Accuse and other stories (Winter Goose Publishing). Dogs Don’t Send Flowers and other stories (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Essays of Gary Beck (Cyberwit Publishing). The Big Match and other one act plays (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume 1 and Plays of Aristophanes translated, then directed by Gary Beck, Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume II and Four Plays by Moliere translated then directed by Gary Beck (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume III). Gary lives in New York City.

garycbeck@yahoo.com

www.garycbeck.com

www.facebook.com/AuthorGaryBeck

---

Setu, March 2022

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

Appraisal

I have a rendezvous with death,

tryst, encounter, assignation

that I am not eager to attend,

but will comply when I must,

however reluctant, preferring

to linger as long as I can

in this exhilarating life

as long as my mind is clear.

Otherwise I’m another drain

on finite resources

consuming, but not contributing,

of minimal redeeming value

better dispensed with

that others may subsist.

***

Seduction

So many ways

to tempt us,

take from us

what often shouldn’t be given.

Money, power, sex,

so many ways

to lead us into concession

until we are conditioned

to yield more than we should,

whether to abusive leaders,

anonymous corporations,

corrosive relationships.

Those of us

too weak to resist

seductive offerings

are sometimes captives

of unrequited desire.

*** 

Park Pleasures

Music echoes through Bryant Park.

People hum and sway to the tunes.

Others enjoy themselves,

tourists and locals

on a warm, summer day.

But nearby, on unheard streets,

the rejected homeless

submerge into the pavements.

***

Dangerous Time

I  used to fear

that incrementally

democracy was ebbing away.

Now it’s rushing away

and the shades of oligarchy

are crushing the people

with terrible burdens

we may not recover from,

a perilous crisis

without leaders to save us.

***

The March of History

We are unprepared

for serious disaster

bio, chemical, nuclear attack.

The  loss of power,

death and destruction

sufficient to end

the brief reign

of the American Empire

of economic conquest,

ephemeral endurance.

When we can’t recover

from a severe hurricane

some of us conclude

there’s no way to survive

national collapse.

***

Bio:

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 32 poetry collections, 14 novels, 3 short story collections, 1 collection of essays and 5 books of 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, Contusions, Desperate Seeker and Learning Curve (Winter Goose Publishing). Earth Links, Too Harsh For Pastels, Severance, Redemption Value, Fractional Disorder, Disruptions, Ignition Point, Resonance and Turbulence (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Double Envelopment). Motifs (Adelaide Books). His novels include Extreme Change (Winter Goose Publishing). State of Rage, Wavelength, Protective Agency, Obsess and Flawed Connections (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Still Obsessed). His short story collections include: A Glimpse of Youth (Sweatshoppe Publications). Now I Accuse and other stories (Winter Goose Publishing). Dogs Don’t Send Flowers and other stories (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Essays of Gary Beck (Cyberwit Publishing). The Big Match and other one act plays (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume 1 and Plays of Aristophanes translated, then directed by Gary Beck, Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume II and Four Plays by Moliere translated then directed by Gary Beck (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume III). Gary lives in New York City.

---

Setu, January 2021

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

 Retooling

For hundreds of years

men developed skills in chess

improving the level of play.

Then a computer beat the world champion,

outcalculating him,

but not many realized

men programmed the machine.

Now the newest computer,

virtually A.I.,

outthinks the world champions

and can do it in Go, checkers,

even monopoly,

replacing men’s minds

with advanced software.

***

 

Limitations

A new year

in besieged America,

enemies without and within

conflicting

on a tiny planet

with brutal indifference

for varied life forms

struggling for survival

in deadly competition,

while only humans

have the capacity

to preserve existence,

instead squandering the future

in meaningless squabbles.

***

Civilization

The changing of the seasons

when people lived on farms

meant traditional rituals

for planting, harvesting,

other activities

regulated by nature,

early to bed,

early to rise,

didn’t make us wise,

but had a reassuring order,

except when disaster struck

then the struggle to endure

dominated the days.

City dwellers

have forgotten

the schedule of nature,

except to put on

or take off

light or heavy clothing,

waking for work, school,

not tending the fields

no longer competent

in the production of crops.

***

 

Abrasion

The dignity of man

is maintained

by courtesy, respect

and lots of patience

with the foibles of others.

Those of us

who are incapable

of good behavior,

the social contract

to get along with others,

go through conflict

clashing with the hostile

on every level,

mental, emotional, physical,

until small confrontations

become large conflagrations.

***

Scientific Advances

The world has always verged

on devouring chaos,

but not until the Atomic Age

did mankind have the power

to terminate existence.

Meteor strike, earthquake,

forces of nature

didn’t destroy all life.

Now, courtesy of science,

there is ample means

nuclear, chemical, biological,

to eradicate animals, vegetables,

until all we’re left with

is a lunar landscape.

***

All these poems have been taken from 'Double Envelopment'.

'Double Envelopment’ is an unpublished poetry collection in response to harsh conditions affecting many of our people, who only want a better future for their children.

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 31 poetry collections, 13 novels, 3 short story collections, 1 collection of essays and 4 books of 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, Contusions, Desperate Seeker and Learning Curve (Winter Goose Publishing). Earth Links, Too Harsh For Pastels, Severance, Redemption Value, Fractional Disorder, Disruptions, Ignition Point and Resonance (Cyberwit Publishing Forthcoming: Turbulence). Forthcoming: ‘Motifs’ (Adelaide Books). His novels include Extreme Change (Winter Goose Publishing). State of Rage, Wavelength, Protective Agency and Obsess (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Still Obsessed and Flawed Connections). His short story collections include: A Glimpse of Youth (Sweatshoppe Publications). Now I Accuse and other stories (Winter Goose Publishing). Dogs Don’t Send Flowers and other stories (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Essays of Gary Beck (Cyberwit Publishing). The Big Match and other one act plays (Wordcatcher Publishing). Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume 1 and Plays of Aristophanes translated, then directed by Gary Beck and Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume II (Cyberwit Publishing. Forthcoming: Four Plays by Moliere translated then directed by Gary Beck and Collected Plays of Gary Beck Volume III). Gary lives in New York City.

---

Setu, June 2021

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

Changeable

The sparrows have begun to sing

that finally it’s Spring. It’s Spring!

But it seems they sang too soon

and now they’ll sing a different tune,

for suddenly it started snowing,

winter winds continue blowing.

*** 

Harbinger

The sun is high in the sky.

The temperature is rising.

Green buds sprouted on the trees.

The birds are singing happily.

We have already forgotten

the snowstorm the first day of Spring.

Now we are ready to enjoy

shirt sleeves in warm weather.

***

 

Can It Be?

Dogwood is blooming everywhere.

Daffodils are blooming everywhere.

A scrawny cherry tree

is working like wild

to put out its aroma.

So much of Nature

seems to be doing its stuff

for a beautiful Spring,

yet its just a few degrees

above freezing.

*** 

Changeable II

The first warm day of Spring.

The sun is shining.

The birds are singing.

Trees are beginning to leaf.

People are wearing short sleeves.

Everyone is taking advantage

of a balmy day

unwilling to believe

it will be cold tomorrow.

*** 

Third World

People wander through the park

aimless, relaxed, cheerful,

enjoying the moment

without the faintest idea

our frayed society

is careening to disaster.

Unlike other times

in history

when coincidence,

miracle, proper actions

saved the day,

the paucity of our leaders

painfully reminds us

they cannot help us

and most don’t even care.

---

Setu, December 2020

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

Benefits of the Internet

The more we learn
at the punch of a button
the more we can do
with knowledge acquired,
as access to all
allows unrestricted freedom
to use information
for good, evil, diversion,
creating an ethics question
of right and wrong
to letting anyone
do what they want,
including terrorism,
as we wonder
who will control the genie
let out of the bottle.
*** 


Paranoia

Symptoms of persecution
are distressingly normal
in a deceptive society
constantly untrustworthy,
where the lies, big and small
confuse the information flow
on the electronic highways,
so far removed from verification
we can no longer separate
fact from fiction.
*** 


Know Thy Oppressors

After Congress displayed
indifference to the suffering
inflicted on the people
because they would not agree
on fiscal policy,
the loss of jobs, services,
further weakened
a staggering nation
already reeling
from economic woes,
making us yearn
for old-fashioned corruption
rather than basic greed,
eroding the fabric
of a troubled land.
*** 


Odds Are

Double or nothing
always seems a daring bet.
Unless you have nothing to lose,
and if the value of double
is not life changing
the rush is ephemeral,
the reward minimal,
results concluding
with smug victory,
resentful defeat.
***


Assault Team

Traffic clogs the roads
cars, buses, taxis, trucks,
many driving recklessly,
all emitting toxins
courtesy of
the oil industry
more concerned with profit
than the human condition,
survival of the earth
a matter of indifference,
as long as the wealthy
maintain their comforts.
***

Setu, July 2020

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

Brr.

Will Spring never come?
One day it’s freezing,
the next it’s warm.
Crazy weather.
And the meteorologists
always seem to get it wrong.
Maybe it’s that Groundhog’s fault?
The rodent comes out once a year,
looks for a shadow…
I thought only people
looked for shadows.
Do they let him out other times?
That couldn’t be much fun
stuck in a box
every day but one.
Then again, humans aren’t known
for treating anything kindly,
especially other humans.
So nothing else to do
but stay bundled up,
try not to catch the flu
and think how nice it’ll be
when it gets warm again.
*** 


Persecution

Bullying,
a criminal act
that torments many,
is a dangerous virus
that infects many,
debilitating them,
frequently stunting growth,
inhibiting potential
often never realized,
carried out by the deficient,
mentally or emotionally
taking out inadequacies
on the younger, smaller,
weaker, smarter,
unable to defend themselves
against unwarranted abuse,
the crime compounded
by the system’s refusal
to protect our children.
***


Inequity

Working men and women
deliver to the wealthy,
bringing luxuries
reserved for the few,
while others labor long hours,
to earn a living,
to support their families,
but will never understand
why their children do without,
while the children of privilege
have every convenience.
*** 


Rhythmic Change

Winter almost over
the last deceptive cold
lurks in the distance,
urgent for a last bluster
before final defeat
by warming days
bringing brief relief
to urban dwellers,
until they start complaining
about excess heat.
*** 


Awaiting Attack

Gunfire in American schools
was once unheard of.
Now it’s happening often,
almost every other day,
a violent climate change
of terror, chaos, death,
while our incompetent leaders
refuse to recognize
the assault on our society
must be stopped,
before attacks become
 a daily event,
an inevitable occurrence
in a nation of officials
who refuse to take action
to protect our children.
***

Setu, February 2020

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

A House Divided
Once upon a time
love of country
wasn’t a crime.
So it may have been
mythological,
since we never were
the land of the free,
except for brief moments
historically.
Now a great peril
endangers the future
of a declining nation
that can no longer afford
the burden of empire,
while an irresponsible leader
threatens nuclear war,
attacks the environment,
shatters the fragile fabric
that barely holds us together,
until we are separated
from the ideal of unity.
***


Dreamscape
As I get older
my dreams get stranger,
with  infrequent nightmares
as my id evolves away
from torments of youth
that required unconscious enactments
to prevent madness.
Most of my dreams fit
the standard definition,
wish fulfillment, problem solving,
but once in a while
a unique dream occurs
that I actually think about
in an effort to understand
the inner workings of my mind,
yet I can’t comprehend
how or why I had
a comical farce dream.
***
 

Progress III
The last time I drove
on I95
65 mph,
the slowest car on the road,
I saw lane changes
without warning
at 75 mph,
tailgating at 75 mph,
texting at 75 mph,
metal machines
barely under control
at excessive speeds,
drivers totally unaware
of the constant danger
of death and destruction
making me yearn
for driverless cars.
***
 

Cities
All cities are related
with the wealthy few,
struggling middle class
aspiring to something better,
and the burden of the poor,
crushed by the knowledge
that few will escape
the disease of poverty.

In some cities
there is an effort
to assist the needy,
limited of course
since other interests prevail.

In other cities
the poor are cordoned off
as far as possible
from the gardens of prosperity,
hoping they’ll go away,
at least not disturb
the well-to-do.

Other Cities
train the police
to contain the undesirables,
allowing the use of force
to keep them in their place,
away from their betters.

Harsh cities
use plainclothes and secret police
to control the masses,
forbidding dissent,
ruthlessly smashing
desperate protest.
***
 

Hurricane IV
Gol darn suma bitch.
Who he think he is?
Telling me this. Telling me that.
‘Earl. Get more gas’.
‘Earl. Make sure the boat’s ready’.
Man. I hope that storm surge
wipe away his fat ass,
his nasty, big mouth wife
like a ugly old turtle.
And those snotty kids.
Well maybe not Miranda.
She be almost thirteen,
just about a woman.
It serve them right if I take her.
So let the others drown.
Me and my brother come here first.
If the ocean don’t get them,
maybe we will.

Setu, October 2019

Poetry: Gary Beck

Gary Beck

To Arms

My favorite revolution,
the French, July 14th, 1789,
when the have nots
toppled the haves,
class distinction so great
that separation of heads
from privileged bodies,
and cleansing blood trails
fooled the people
for a few years
that they were free.
Most accepted
the Napoleonic order,
at least while he was winning,
followed by numerous regime changes,
most of them unstable,
except for brief moments of glory
in one of the few countries
that make America seem sensible.
***
 

Exposure to Stimuli

Those nurtured by television
want the same things,
material goods
paraded before us
day and night
on larger and larger screens
with better and better pictures,
tantalizing us
with objects of desire
that some can afford,
others steal, sell drugs, murder
to get what they want,
violent enactments
on a smaller scale
then government actions,
though less destructive,
except to individuals
caught in the brutal swirl
of criminal acts,
that burst upon them
unexpectedly,
shattering brief illusion
of stability,
the mandatory state
that allows continuation
of civilization.
***
  

The Rise of Cities

I no longer sing
of nature’s grandeur,
betrayed
by too many cities.
The engineers
who build our destiny
moved us off the land,
confined us in small spaces,
jostling each other
until we no longer remember
hunting, gathering,
subsistence farming,
simpler existence,
more dangerous,
not as complex,
lacking internet connections
we delusively believe
binds us together.
***
  

Last Resort

I sit on a grimy bench
at the unemployment office.
After interminable wait
my number is called.
The interviewer sits
behind a plastic shield
to protect him
from importunity.

He, she, it
is impersonal,
indifferent
to my sufferings.
A robot is preferable
to this inhumanity.

The genderless clerk
interrogates,
silently accuses me
of slacking,
does not care
my job went overseas.

Nothing is left but service jobs,
even if I could get one,
competition is fierce,
I can’t afford rent, food,
healthcare a dream of the past.

I request an extension
answer the questions
as best I can,
trying to conceal
my desperation.

If I do not get benefits
I’ll be on the street.
I do not know how I’ll survive
the rigors of homelessness.
***


Nautical Change

Ships were not invented
for pleasure,
but to carry
people,
goods,
from place to
place,
that otherwise
would not arrive,
and only after prosperity
did casual sailing
became sport.
***

---

Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director. He has 14 published chapbooks. 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, Fault Lines, Tremors, Perturbations, Rude Awakenings, The Remission of Order and Contusions (Winter Goose Publishing). Conditioned Response(Nazar Look), Virtual Living (Thurston Howl Publications), Blossoms of Decay, Expectations, Blunt Force and Ttansitions(Wordcatcher Publishing). His novels include Flawed Connections (Black Rose Writing), Call to Valor and Crumbling Ramparts (Gnome on Pig Productions), Sudden Conflicts (Lillicat Publishers). Acts of Defiance, Flare Up, Still Defiant and Flare Up (Wordcatcher Publishing). His short story collections include A Glimpse of Youth (Sweatshoppe Publications), Now I Accuse and other stories (Win ter Goose Publishing) and Dogs Don’t Send Flowers and other stories (Wordcatcher Publishing). The Republic of Dreams and other essays (Gnome on Pig Productions). Feast or Famine and other one act-plays will be published by Wordcatcher 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 magazines. He lives in New York City.

Setu, May 2019