Gary Beck's 'Mortal Coil' is an unpublished poetry collection that grapples with the frailty of this conflicted life. We're bringing a few poems from this collection.
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 13 published chapbooks and 1 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, Fault Lines, Tremors, Perturbations and Rude Awakenings (Winter Goose Publishing) The Remission of Order will be published by Winter Goose Publishing. Conditioned Response (Nazar Look). Resonance (Dreaming Big Publications). Virtual Living (Thurston Howl Publications). Blossoms of Decay and Expectations (Wordcatcher Publishing). Blunt Force will be published by Wordcatcher Publishing. His novels include: Extreme Change (Cogwheel Press), Flawed Connections (Black Rose Writing), Call to Valor and Crumbling Ramparts (Gnome on Pigs Productions). As part of the continuing series, ‘Stand to Arms Marines’, Gnome on Pigs Productions will publish the third book in the series, Raise High the Walls. Sudden Conflicts (Lillicat Publishers). State of Rage will be published by Rainy Day Reads Publishing and Acts of Defiance by Wordcatcher Publishing. His short story collections include, A Glimpse of Youth (Sweatshoppe Publications) and. Now I Accuse and other stories (Winter Goose Publishing). Dogs Don’t Send Flowers and other stories 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 literary magazines. He currently lives in New York City.
Commemoration
I listened to the radio,
the reading of the names
of those who died on 9/11,
when the Twin Towers fell.
The voices didn’t sound as bereaved
as they did twelve years ago,
when shock and horror
still possessed us.
Now time has passed.
The urgent cares of life
demand we move on
and if not as painful,
still heartfelt,
the sense of loss
still carries sorrow.
It’s difficult to imagine
in a few more years
that tragic event
will begin to fade
and someday be as remote
as ‘Remember Pearl Harbor’,
‘Remember the Maine’,
‘Remember the Alamo’.
Travel Plans III
It was so cold
on the boat last night
I had to put on a sweater.
The crew was still wearing shorts,
so I guess it’s me.
But I like it warm.
My trophy wife
prefers the city
and its culture.
The only culture
I care about
is agriculture,
because of my investments.
It’s just about time
to go south.
She can stay here
for all I care.
Wherever I go
on my mega-yacht
there are always willing women
eager to come aboard.
Advancement
Symptoms of disease
course through
the body politic,
ambition and greed
vectors,
bringing newcomers
to the public trough,
eager to dine,
most loath to serve.
None understanding
their first concern
should always be
well-being of the nation.
Epidemic
Dread disease
always plagued mankind,
terrifying us,
yet accepted as normal
human suffering.
Then existence changed
as modern medicine
cured illness,
prolonged life,
so when contagion strikes
we are unprepared,
morally outraged
for the suffering and loss
that doesn’t seem right
in the Information Age.
The Bored of Education
We go to school
mandated by the state
and what we learn
is actually determined
by the wealth of our parents.
The poor are packed
into large classrooms
burdened by disabilities,
learning, behavioral,
over-stressed teachers
with fraying dedication,
uninspired, uninspiring,
breeding little success
in non-receptive students
sufficiently traumatized
by the rigors of poverty,
harsh nurturing, poor diet,
overexposure to life on the streets,
Tv is an instructive academy
that competes with the internet
to shape the minds
of needy youth
before they enter school.
The offspring of privilege
have all the advantages
money can provide,
so despite parental neglect
are at least consoled
with material things,
that may not bring happiness,
but allow security.
