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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Gary Beck’s recent fiction has appeared in 3AM Magazine, Fullosia Press, EWG Presents, Nuvein Magazine, Vincent Brothers Review, The Journal, Short Stories Monthly, L’Intrigue Magazine, Babel Magazine and Bibliophilos. His poetry has appeared in dozens of literary magazines. His plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes, and Sophocles have been produced Off Broadway. He is a writer/director of award-winning social issue video documentaries. |
by Gary Beck
Our troops will trudge from
to the consuming pyres of
to join another ancient war
that’s only waiting to resume
the feast on flesh of innocence.
There nestless birds have lost their songs.
Hatred dances on the grim parapets
of furious fortresses of vengeance,
where our young men will be sacrificed
on altars of atonement, thirsting their blood.
There limbless children have no playmates.
Moslem, Christian, east, west,
kings and sultans lead their followers
into the chaos of sword, rifle, missile,
blessed instruments of destruction
improved over the ages for pleasure.
Our troops will trudge from
to the consuming pyres of
to join another ancient war
that’s only waiting to resume
the feast on flesh of innocence.
There nestless birds have lost their songs.
Hatred dances on the grim parapets
of furious fortresses of vengeance,
where our young men will be sacrificed
on altars of atonement, thirsting their blood.
There limbless children have no playmates.
Moslem, Christian, east, west,
kings and sultans lead their followers
into the chaos of sword, rifle, missile,
blessed instruments of destruction
improved over the ages for pleasure.