Alteration

by Gary Beck / January 16th, 2022

People sit in Bryant Park
enjoying the safe hint of nature,
lots of flowers, aging sycamore trees.
Game areas, food stands, diversions,
all combine for a pleasant experience.
No one able to imagine
this oasis in the city
was once a pollution site
of drugs, crime and violence,
strenuously avoided
by tourists and locals alike.

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 40 poetry collections, 16 novels, 4 short story collections, 2 collection of essays and 8 books of plays. Gary lives in New York City. Read other articles by Gary.

This article was posted on Sunday, January 16th, 2022 at 8:02am and is filed under Poetry.