Diverse Neglect

by Gary Beck / October 1st, 2017

The cry of a child
competes with the tv
in a ghetto apartment,
while mother is at work.

The cry of a child
is muffled by the hand
of mother’s abusive boyfriend,
while she is at work.

The cry of a child
is ignored by the nanny
chatting on her cellphone,
while mother is at work.

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, October 1st, 2017 at 8:02am and is filed under Poetry.