<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">In View Of The Fact</div><div dir="auto"><br></div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">The people of my time are passing away: my</div><div dir="auto">wife <span class="html-span xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs" style="margin: 0px; text-align: inherit; padding: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a tabindex="-1" class="html-a xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs" style="color: rgb(56, 88, 152); cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; text-align: inherit; padding: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"></a></span>is baking for a funeral, a 60-year-old who</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">died suddenly, when the phone rings, and it's</div><div dir="auto">Ruth we care so much about in intensive care:</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">it was once weddings that came so thick and</div><div dir="auto">fast, and then, first babies, such a hullabaloo:</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">now, it's this that and the other and somebody</div><div dir="auto">else gone or on the brink: well, we never</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">thought we would live forever (although we did)</div><div dir="auto">and now it looks like we won't: some of us</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">are losing a leg to diabetes, some don't know</div><div dir="auto">what they went downstairs for, some know that</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">a hired watchful person is around, some like</div><div dir="auto">to touch the cane tip into something steady,</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">so nice: we have already lost so many,</div><div dir="auto">brushed the loss of ourselves ourselves: our</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">address books for so long a slow scramble now</div><div dir="auto">are palimpsests, scribbles and scratches: our</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">index cards for Christmases, birthdays,</div><div dir="auto">Halloweens drop clean away into sympathies:</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">at the same time we are getting used to so</div><div dir="auto">many leaving, we are hanging on with a grip</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">to the ones left: we are not giving up on the</div><div dir="auto">congestive heart failure or brain tumors, on</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">the nice old men left in empty houses or on</div><div dir="auto">the widows who decide to travel a lot: we</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">think the sun may shine someday when we'll</div><div dir="auto">drink wine together and think of what used to</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">be: until we die we will remember every</div><div dir="auto">single thing, recall every word, love every</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">loss: then we will, as we must, leave it to</div><div dir="auto">others to love, love that can grow brighter</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto">and deeper till the very end, gaining strength</div><div dir="auto">and getting more precious all the way. . . .</div></div><div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; caret-color: rgb(8, 8, 9); color: rgb(8, 8, 9);"><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> - A. R. Ammons</div></div></div></body></html>