sleepless

when i can't sleep
i crack open a book
one of weird, mostly unknown facts
that my brother stole from my mom's bookshelf
and i, in turn, stole it from his dresser.

it's got things in it i've never even thought about
tooth decay from back in the era of the crusades
weird things popes have done
strange communities that i've never heard of
just things that you don't see everyday.

it helps me sleep, staring at words
no matter what they say.
i won't remember it in the morning (probably)
just those strange incidents in history
that would be forgotten if they weren't written.