To Reap

by Gary Beck / August 17th, 2025

I walk plague streets
of nightmare city,
people becoming insane,
tormented by thwarted dreams,
dismal expectations unmet
as lost resources
glibly siphoned off
by the lords of profit,
indifferent to the plight
of the disenfranchised
abandoned as offerings
to Father Time
harvesting the expended,
riding inexorably
on his bicycle of fate.

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, August 17th, 2025 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.