"Origins: the Birthplace of a Tumbleweed"
poems, a story, and an essay
about growing up in my home town
by Max Reif

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Poems

Questions, Looking Back
On Turning Fifteen in 1962
English Teachers
Photo: Miss Lindahl's 5th Grade Class, 1959
Yes, Death Is a Fact Of Life
Invoking the Gods Of My Youth
Saturday Night Rituals
The Neighborhood
James Furniture Store
The Visit
On a Visit To St. Louis, My Home Town
When the Dentist Spoke At the Anti-War Rally
Taxi Memories

Short Story

Prelude To a Wagnerian Spring
a coming of age story

Essay

My City Of Lions
a reminiscence of growing up in University City, Missouri

(note: I feel this essay, written around 1985 and distributed to many at our 20th reunion, needs some editing, but I scanned it in & just don't have the patience to re-type it. Parts may sound a bit smug and condescending. If they do, I apologize. I was trying hard to love everyone. I post the piece because whatever else it may do, re-reading it did bring the bygone U. City alive for me.)

 

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