<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">If You Knew</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">What if you knew you’d be the last</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">to touch someone?</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">If you were taking tickets, for example,</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">at the theater, tearing them,</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">giving back the ragged stubs,</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">you might take care to touch that palm,</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">brush your fingertips</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">along the life line’s crease.</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">When a man pulls his wheeled suitcase</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">too slowly through the airport, when</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">the car in front of me doesn’t signal,</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">when the clerk at the pharmacy</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">won’t say Thank you, I don’t remember</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">they’re going to die.</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">A friend told me she’d been with her aunt.</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">They’d just had lunch and the waiter,</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">a young gay man with plum black eyes,</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">joked as he served the coffee, kissed</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">her aunt’s powdered cheek when they left.</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">Then they walked half a block and her aunt</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">dropped dead on the sidewalk.</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">How close does the dragon’s spume</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">have to come? How wide does the crack</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">in heaven have to split?</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">What would people look like</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">if we could see them as they are,</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">soaked in honey, stung and swollen,</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); ">reckless, pinned against time?</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(252, 254, 255); "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>- Ellen Bass</span></body></html>