Man creates great beauty,
wondrous constructions
that defy nature,
soaring to dazzling heights
to harbor the rich,
while mud, sticks, brick
shelter the poor.
Yet we always dispense
wanton destruction
with incredible velocity,
eradicating
cultures, cities, peoples,
making it painfully clear
we bring the best and worst
to this complicated life.
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 one-act plays.