By Gary Beck
PROMPT — The way I see it ...
As the empire dissolves
madness accelerates,
breeding chaos.
Armed bands roam the country,
make dates
to fight other bands,
ignored by law enforcement.
The rich get richer
less and less concerned
with the well-being of others,
assuming the system
will continue to function
with fewer resources.
Opposing legislators
storm a congressional hearing,
similar to disorder past,
the Roman Senate,
the French Assembly,
and as dissolution looms
the great divide
between the haves
and the rest of us
grows wider,
while the deluded 1%
think they’ll avoid disaster
whether in other countries,
or artificial enclaves
constructed in America
to provide comforts,
while the rest of us
go down in flames.
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 36 poetry collections, 14 novels, 3 short story collections, 1 collection of essays, and 7 books of plays. Gary lives in New York City.
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