Gary Beck
Civil Rights For Witches
Witch hunters in Gambia
surrounded a village,
herded men and women
onto buses at gunpoint,
took them to detention camps,
stripped them naked,
forced them to drink
hallucinogenic substances
until they didn't know
who was, or wasn't a witch.
Then the helpless victims
had to drink and bathe
in a potion of toxic herbs,
fatal to witches
and non-witches alike.
Bio
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 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.