Others

how many others have watched you sleep
listened to you breathe so loudly
how many others have kissed you hello,
tasted whatever you’d eaten before they showed up
how many others have watched those movies with you
been as interested as I
how many others smiled at your sister
hoping she liked them
how many others have traced the lines of your tattoos
wondered how someone could have so many pointless figures on their body
how many others have looked at you with stars in their eyes
so stupid, so blind
how many others have known there were others
before them, during them
how many others have gotten that call
the one that broke their hearts for the first time
how many others have wrestled with the thought of loving you
of hating you, forever, for good
how many others have struggled to forget you
throwing away your poems and songs
how many others have felt naïve, immature
thanks to your know-it-all insight
how many others have you changed
how many others write poems about you
when they can’t sleep?