aficionado

She studied him
like a college scout
studies a high school state champ.
She memorized his stats,
his preferences,
his family, his friends, his classes, his beer,
his bands, his shows, his smile, the part of his hair.
She parsed it all for potential.
And all the time
she could have devoted
to saving the world
to saving herself
to building and making and learning
she spent on becoming an
aficionado on a boyfriend
who would be gone by senior year.