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Oh Max Lyrics by Robert Creeley

983

Oh Max
for Max Finstein

1.

Dumbass clunk plane "American
Airlines" (well­-named) waits at gate

for hours while friend in Nevada's
burned to ash. The rabbi

won't be back till Sunday.
Business lumbers on

in cheapshit world of
fake commerce, buy and sell,

what today, what
tomorrow. Friend's dead­

out of it, won't be back
to pay phoney dues. The best

conman in country's
gone and you're left in

plane's metal tube squeezed out
of people's pockets, pennies

it's made of, big bucks,
nickels, dimes all the same.

You won't understand it's forever­
one time, just one time

you get to play,
go for broke, forever, like

old­time musicians,
Thelonious, Bud Powell, Bird's

horn with the chewed­-through reed,
Jamaica Plain in the 40s

­Izzy Ort's, The Savoy. Hi Hat's
now gas station. It goes fast,

Scramble it, make an omelet
out of it, for the hell of it. Eat

these sad pieces. Say it's
paper you wrote the world on

and guy's got gun to your head­
go on, he says, eat it...

You can't take it back.
It's gone. Max's dead.

2.

What's memory's
agency­- why so much
matter. Better remember

all one can forever­
never, never forget.
We met in Boston,

1947, he was out of jail
and just married, lived
in a sort of hotel-­like

room off Washington Street,
all the lights on,
a lot of them. I never

got to know her well,
Ina, but his daughter
Rachel I can think of

now, when she was 8,
stayed with us, Placitas, wanted bicycle,
big open-­faced kid, loved

Max, her father, who,
in his own fragile way,
was good to her.

In and out
of time, first Boston,
New York later­ then

he showed up in N.M.,
as I was leaving, 1956
had the rent still paid

for three weeks on
"The Rose­ Covered Cottage" in Ranchos
(where sheep ambled o'er bridge)

so we stayed,
worked the street, like they say,
lived on nothing.

Fast flashes­ the women
who love him, Rena, Joyce,
Max, the mensch, makes

poverty almost fun,
hangs on edge, keeps traveling.
Israel­ they catch him,

he told me, lifting
a bottle of scotch at the airport,
tch, tch, let him stay

(I now think) 'cause
he wants to.
Lives on kibbutz.

So back to New Mexico,
goyims' Israel sans the plan
save Max's ("Kansas City," "Terre Haute")

New Buffalo (friend told me
he yesterday saw that on bus placard
and though, that's it! Max's place).

People and people and people.
Buddy, Wuzza, Si
Perkoff, and Sascha,

Big John C., and Elaine,
the kids. Joel and Gil,
LeRoi, Cubby, back and back

to the curious end
where it bends away into
nowhere or Christmas he's

in the army, has come home,
and father, in old South Station,
turns him in as deserter, ashamed,

ashamed of his son. Or the man
Max then kid with his papers
met nightly at Summer Street

subway entrances on Xmas
he give him a dime for a tip...
No, old man, your son

was not wrong. "America"
just a vagueness, another place,
works for nothing, gets along.

3

In air
there's nowhere
enough not
here, nothing

left to speak
to but you'll
know as plane
begins its

descent, like
they say, it
was the place
where you were,

Santa Fe
(holy fire) with
mountains
of blood.

4

Can't leave, never could,
without more, just
one more

for the road.
Time to go makes
me stay­-

Max, be happy,
be good, broken
brother, my man, useless

words
now
forever.
Credits
Robert Creeley

Robert Creeley

About “Oh Max” by Robert Creeley

Read the complete lyrics to "Oh Max" by Robert Creeley in 983. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Oh Max" is performed by Robert Creeley. in 983 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Oh Max", explore more songs by Robert Creeley using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Robert Creeley · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Oh Max" is credited to Robert Creeley. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "Oh Max" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Robert Creeley artist page at /artist/robert-creeley for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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