I am an insomniac by association. I associate with sleepless nights and mindsets that are too wobbly and shaky to be anything less than a tornado. I want to rename my veins after hurricanes. This one's Sandy because it washed away the girl I loved in New Jersey. Because the ocean is never as salty as my cheeks after I kiss her through the miles. Because I am not a boy, because my mother thinks I wear black because I used to slit my wrists. Because of my tattoos that whisper of their memories while I lay in bed counting the stars I can't see. So I start counting the stars I see in my head. So I started taking drugs that made me see them instead. I am an insomniac because I want to sleep but only when I remember the reasons why I can't.