Parasitic twins… occur when one twin ceases development during gestation and becomes vestigial 
to the fully formed dominant twin…—Corinne DeRuiter, The Embryo Project Encyclopedia

Our parents never gave me
            a name       but you did     Jason      kissed it
                       between my shoulder blades      Every night
you counted    all
                                   the
                                              rungs
                        of my spine     praying    I would climb  out
of your belly       one day     a whole brother

Then you stopped talking
           to me         our parents decided to sever
                                     us into one    twin

I forgive you
            I always knew you’d outgrow me
But I won’t lie   I felt every surgical saw tooth
                        cleaving  you      from       me
            How                do I tell    you
how alone        I am

along with cancerous legs      frost-bit
             toes, withered arms        to be burned   un-
remembered
            while you’re already healing
                        into   the     yolk
of your new     birth

                        Brother
long after my ash has been   scattered no-
                        where   I’ll still be     with you
The scar closer to you    than     she
            will ever be
                       reminding you even
in your wedding bed

                      I loved you first