FLEETING
Summer ended,
the last butterfly
does not migrate,
lands on sheltered tree,
expires, a brief life
without knowledge
of good or evil
that only touched
those who noticed.
WHERE LOVE HAS GONE
For thousands of years
there wasn't enough time,
or favorable conditions
for romantic relationships,
survival determined mating.
When class distinctions emerged
marriages were contracted
to preserve property rights,
or to increase one's power
after a formal process
of negotiation
that resulted in union
that left a bartered bride
without bargaining rights.
Women were chattel
whose primary function
was to provide an heir
to their master's domains.
This condition lasted
for millennia,
until democracy
began to undermine
unjust practices.
Gradually women were freed
and exercised their own choice
and reveled in equality.
Then too many discovered
the most painful way possible
when they were murdered by lovers,
that their method of selection
was not as efficient
as in days of old,
when controlling parents
EARLY EDUCATION
Elementary schools use
a standard curriculum,
reading, writing, arithmetic,
respect for the Founding Fathers,
a capsule of social studies,
a dose of appreciation
for the arts, tortuously applied,
a dreary conglomeration
of outmoded ideas, once designed
to prepare youth for factory work,
but the factories are gone.
It is a testament to youth
that many survive exposure
to a crippling environment
overseen by the ignorant,
where the facile are rewarded
and the bullies go unpunished,
both combining in painful ways
to stifle those who are less able
to endure an odious system,
dispensing with math and science.
Remarkable accomplishments
by exceptional youngsters
lead to vital positions
that sustain society,
while the inner core is rotting.
Corporate greed has run amok
as lawyers circle like vultures,
waiting to litigate the corpse.
The military is despised,
despite protecting liberty.
Jobs and prospects are dwindling.
The pillars of a nation
are rapidly crumbling
and schools of salvation
may no longer save us.
© 2010 Gary Beck. All rights reserved.
________________________________________________ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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 chapbook 'Remembrance' was published by Origami Condom Press, 'The Conquest of Somalia' was published by Cervena Barva Press, 'The Dance of Hate' was published by Calliope Nerve Media and 'Mutilated Girls' is being published by Bedouin Press. A collection of his poetry, 'Days of Destruction' was published by Skive Press. Another collection 'Expectations' is being published by Rogue Scholars Press. His original plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes and Sophocles have been produced Off Broadway and toured colleges and outdoor performance venues. His poetry has appeared in hundreds of literary magazines. He currently lives in New York City.
