If I had known it was the last time,

I would wait my turn among strangers,

My patience would have stretched to infinity.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would tear out several stray locks,

I would have welcomed the pain.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would leap and swing for a purpose,

Gravity wouldn't have held me down.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would listen to nameless voices,

They would have whispered a world of wisdom.

If I had known it was the last time,

A piercing whistle would strike me like lightning,

My heart would have stopped at the sound.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would curl my toes over the edge,

Precarious, I would have stood still as stone.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would stare upside down at my knees,

I would have committed every wrinkle to memory.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would spring to life at a beep,

The effect would have been instantaneous.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would come that close to flying,

I would have felt the rush of air on my cheek.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would plunge head first into the blue,

The cold would have fuelled my passion.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would be suspended in the silence,

Time would have stopped.

If I had known it was the last time,

Two limbs would perform as one,

I would have sprouted a fin.

If I had known it was the last time,

My arms would spin faster than propellers,

The current would have bowed in defeat.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would breathe in continuous rhythm,

The world would have spun to my beat.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would explode off of a wall,

It would have been nuclear.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would reach for a fraction of a hundredth of a second,

My handprint would still be etched in the wall.

If I had known it was the last time,

I'd hear the eruption of whistles and cheers,

They would have all been for me.

If I had known it was the last time,

A clock could cause fury and tears,

I would have laughed at the insanity.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would have been thrilled, no matter the time.

If I had known it was the last time,

I would have left part of my soul behind.

Learn more about this author, Christa Orschel.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Poetry: I never knew?
We want to hear your view. Write now!