If

If
I cannot hear today
tomorrow
or in days that follow
I will
thrust the music
to my senses
so as not to forget

I will live by rhythm
breathe in measures
love in meters

I will let rise up
melodies from my youth
and examine them
like evergreens
like marketplaces
like the faces of loved ones
like tornadoes

If I cannot hear
I intend to taste
all the notes I have
squirreled away
whole, round, ripe
flat and tart
even sharp, hard
I will devour them all
Still
If I cannot hear

If
I cannot hear today
tomorrow
or in days that follow

I will
Ask you to touch me
in ways
that implore me
to remember