<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Alive<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">Dear Abby, said someone from Oregon,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">I am having trouble with my boyfriend’s attachment</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">to an ancient gallon of milk still full</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">in his refrigerator. I told him it’s me or the milk,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">is this unreasonable? Dear Carolyn,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">my brother won’t speak to me</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">because fifty years ago I whispered</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">a monkey would kidnap him in the night</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">to take him back to his true family</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">but he should have known it was a joke</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">when it didn’t happen, don’t you think?</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">Dear Board of Education, no one will ever</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">remember a test. Repeat. Stories,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">poems, projects, experiments,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">mischief, yes, but never a test.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">Dear Dog Behind the Fence, you really need</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">to calm down now. You have been barking every time</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">I walk to the compost for two years</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">and I have not robbed your house. Relax.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">When I asked the man on the other side</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">if you bother him too, he smiled and said no,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">he makes me feel less alone. Should I be more</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">worried about the dog or the man?</span></div><div class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.04px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Naomi Shihab Nye</span></div></body></html>