Gary Beck - One Poem

Fixed Positions

Tyrannies demand
strict obedience
from their citizens
and will kill anyone
who tries to defy them.
Anarchists demand
unlimited freedom
from government restraint
and will kill anyone
who tries to control them.
Terrorists demand
numerous restrictions
on nations of consent
and will kill anyone
who tries to resist them.
Democracies display
one standard at home
another abroad
and will kill anyone
who tries to dispute them.



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 chapbook 'Remembrance' was published by Origami Condom Press and 'The Conquest of Somalia' was published by Cervena Barva Press. A collection of his poetry 'Days of Destruction' has been published in 2009 by Skive Press. Another collection 'Expectations' is being published by Rogue Scholars Press. His original plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes and Sophocles have been produced Off Broadway and toured colleges and outdoor performance venues. He currently lives in New York City, where he's busy writing. His poetry and fiction has appeared in hundreds of literary magazines.