Max Reif Poems

And may your thoughts
inhabit your mind
as peacefully
as the cows graze
...

I've tried to juggle
the world and God
like they were two
balls in my hand,
...

Yesterday in a letter
I playfully scolded
an old friend,
...

The guy in front of me at 7-Eleven
takes forever to make up his mind,
savoring the power in his finger
as he points it like a dowser
...

The demolition crews are out,
And twice this week, I saw
Crunching into brick and steel,
A huge crane's T-rex maw.
...

Went to Kinko's last night
to copy my manuscripts. Ha!
Everybody else thought their work
was as important as mine—
...

He wears a suit,
she wears a dress.
He goes to work.
You know the rest:
...

My drug of choice is food, while my wife
prefers the smoky kiss of cigarettes.

We have a truce now, whereby I don't nag her:
...

Wherever there are rules,
which is to say everywhere,
gradations of warnings and penalties
lead to a certain point
...

Today the little bird
is let out of his cage.
He doesn't know
if his wings will still fly,
...