Emergency Room

by Gary Beck / June 2nd, 2024

I watch the ill, the frightened,
the diseased, the demented,
huddling in the waiting room,
devastated beyond hope.
Only sad resignation
keeps them from collapse,
dissolving into disfunction.
Only vestiges remain
to define a human being,
at least remnants of one.

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, June 2nd, 2024 at 8:02am and is filed under Poetry.