Tormented Land

                           Crumbling sidewalks contrast
                             with resplendent buildings
                                in the gentrifying city
                                 of abandoned parks,
                                no longer maintained
                              as the rich go elsewhere
                                       for recreation.
                                    Nature perseveres
                             as long as our planet exists
                                   to recover the earth
                                   until we all perish,
                                    weeds sprouting
                            through cracked pavements
                               in the ongoing struggle
                                    that affects us all
                                   so we barely notice
                                   concrete is fleeting.



Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director. His original plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes and Sophocles have been produced Off Broadway. His poetry, fiction, essays and plays have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines. His traditionally published books include 46 poetry collections, 19 novels, 4 short story collections, 2 collections of essays, 8 books of plays and 16 poetry chapbooks. Gary lives in New York City.