does she know
how many times
p e r m i n u t e
you tap your fingers on your thighs
when you're about to see her?
does she know
how many millimeters
your eyes dilate
when you see her?
but not me, not me
does she know
how white your knuckles are
when you hear that
somebody hurt her?
and i can hear you boiling
tell her to keep a tally
and beg me to not
i'm good at math;
counting things i'll never have.