Poem On Just Being Yourself - Max Reif

[Larry Robinson]

 Poem On Just Being Yourself

not the one with a capital S,
just the jerry-rigged cluster of habits
enshrined with a beating heart
and living spirit, that meets
the new day every day,

the one who stands in lines,
who runs in races as we all must
without, hopefully, turning
everything into a race.

I’m speaking here of the arc
of a lifetime, a long arc
that requires great endurance—
no matter who we are.

When I was younger, I went
to the BART station one day
and gave out Hero buttons
to everyone I could.

It’s easy to forget, when you’re struggling,
that it’s a great thing just to keep struggling.

I’ve felt way ahead of the pack,
led to a mountain-top,

handed  tablets of beauty.
I now realize were a gift
I cannot sustain on my own.

Putting one foot ahead of the other,
longing to do great things,
making the best effort
even when feeling ham-handed


may engender more divine smiles
than being  tapped on the shoulder
and led to that mountain-top.

Persevering, who knows,
may be the finest
Art of all.

	- Max Reif
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