Gary Beck. Three.

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To Grandmother's House

A 13-year-old Somali girl

who lived in Kismayu

went to visit her grandmother

in the war-torn capitol,

Mogadishu,

but never arrived.

Three men pounced on her,

raped the helpless child,

threatened her with death

if she reported the crime.

When she managed to get home

her horrified family

sought protection

bt the authorities.

The Shabab militia

that controlled Kismayu

accused the girl of adultery

and sentenced  her to death

for violating Shariah,

the legal code of Islam,

based on the Koran.

The girl was taken

to a soccer stadium,

placed in a hole,

buried up to her neck,

and fifty men,

watched by thousands,

stoned the girl to death.

She was victimized twice;

first by the rapists

who were not arrested,

then by those responsible

for administering justice

who deprived her of life,

the final abuse

of an innocent child.

Submerging to Obscurity

Poets once inflamed the world

with the summons to action

and became celebrities.

Mass entertainment

turned attention elsewhere

and poets dwindled

in the public esteem.

They no longer incite

inflammatory passions,

too often content

with college comforts

to dare the changed world.

Seems in electronic postings,

they enhance nuance

shunning direct contact.

Internet users

often find

versifying stultifying.

Blunt language may reach

those now out of touch

and poetry might discover

the needs of a new lover.

Receding Presidents

In a confused land

of violent extremes,

an indifferent middle

and media deceptions,

we have become accustomed

to despising presidents

and no longer remember

the last one we admired.

Our children no longer wish

to grow up and become

our chief executive,

instead preferring

rap stars, movie stars,

even sports stars,

who don't qualify

after intelligent appraisal

of their redeeming value

to serve a needy country.

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 'Material Questions' was published by Silkworms Ink, 'Mutilated Girls' is being published by Bedouin Press and 'Dispossessed' is being published by Medulla Press. A collection of his poetry 'Days of Destruction' was published in by Skive Press. Another collection 'Expectations' was 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.