Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director, and as an art dealer when he couldn’t make a living in theater. He has 11 published chapbooks and 3 more accepted for publication. His poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines. He currently lives in New York City. Ignition Point is an unpublished poetry collection that looks at some of the struggles and tensions of our times, in what is a confusing life for so many of us.
Last Shot
Stocks rise to record highs
luring some to invest,
hoping to make money
in a distressed economy,
since they don’t know what to do
in the crumbling world
erasing the middle-class
as a factor in the future,
the last remnants tainting the system
to redeem drastic losses
that shattered life styles,
now departed, leaving dread
that former prosperity
will never come again.
Survival Trait
We all have a breaking point,
mental, physical, emotional,
that we cannot go beyond,
reaching our limits,
crumbling by the wayside
unable to continue
supporting our loved ones,
recovering from illness,
remaining sane in a world gone mad,
the only consolation
pride in perseverance
surpassing expectations,
inspiring others
in the struggle to endure
constant tribulations.
Unbelief
As religion fades
as a vital force
in the indulgent West
the volume of disasters,
man made, natural,
multiply like plague
inflicted on the greedy
and only the doubtful prospect
of a genuine miracle
may arrive in time
to save us from destruction.
Shopping Spree II
TV and the internet
send slick ads
to conditioned audiences
to buy costly goods,
cars, clothes, jewelry,
tempting us beyond resistance
to acquire desired treasures
and we loyally comply,
responding to our nurturers
in the last indulgences
before crippling poverty.
Paranoia
Symptoms of persecution
are distressingly normal
in a deceptive society
constantly untrustworthy,
where the lies, big and small
confuse the information flow
on the electronic highways,
so far removed from verification
we can no longer separate
fact from fiction.
in parentheses 
enter the discussion: