diff --git a/third_party/libevent/epoll.c b/third_party/libevent/epoll.c
index 94dcc9bb3f8d..e222e3ec21ed 100644
--- a/third_party/libevent/epoll.c
+++ b/third_party/libevent/epoll.c
@@ -39,10 +39,6 @@
 // Use libevent's local compatibility  versions of these.
 #include "third_party/libevent/compat/sys/queue.h"
 
-// Include Starboard poems after all system headers.
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/stdio_poem.h"
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/string_poem.h"
-
 #include "starboard/system.h"
 #define LibErr SbSystemGetLastError()
 #else  // STARBOARD
@@ -57,17 +53,18 @@
 #include <sys/queue.h>
 #include <sys/epoll.h>
 #include <signal.h>
+#endif  // STARBOARD
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
+#ifndef STARBOARD
 #include <errno.h>
 #ifdef HAVE_FCNTL_H
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #endif
 #define LibErr errno
 #endif  // STARBOARD
-
 #include "event.h"
 #include "event-internal.h"
 #ifndef STARBOARD
diff --git a/third_party/libevent/event.c b/third_party/libevent/event.c
index d411433c217e..b1bd1b282e8b 100644
--- a/third_party/libevent/event.c
+++ b/third_party/libevent/event.c
@@ -36,10 +36,6 @@
 #endif  //  defined LIBEVENT_PLATFORM_HEADER
 
 #include "compat/sys/queue.h"
-
-// Include Starboard poems after all system headers.
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/assert_poem.h"
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/stdio_poem.h"
 #else  // STARBOARD
 #ifdef WIN32
 #define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN
@@ -49,10 +45,11 @@
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #ifdef HAVE_SYS_TIME_H
 #include <sys/time.h>
-#else 
+#else
 #include <sys/_libevent_time.h>
 #endif
 #include <sys/queue.h>
+#endif  // STARBOARD
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #ifndef WIN32
@@ -65,8 +62,6 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <time.h>
-#endif  // STARBOARD
-
 #include "event.h"
 #include "event-internal.h"
 #include "evutil.h"
diff --git a/third_party/libevent/evutil.c b/third_party/libevent/evutil.c
index a5633c8afd21..cfc6a1b3f7a6 100644
--- a/third_party/libevent/evutil.c
+++ b/third_party/libevent/evutil.c
@@ -36,10 +36,7 @@
 #endif  //  defined LIBEVENT_PLATFORM_HEADER
 
 #include "compat/sys/queue.h"
-
-// Include Starboard poems after all system headers.
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/stdio_poem.h"
-#else
+#else  // STARBOARD
 #ifdef WIN32
 #include <winsock2.h>
 #define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN
@@ -57,19 +54,21 @@
 #ifdef HAVE_FCNTL_H
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #endif
+#endif  // STARBOARD
 #ifdef HAVE_STDLIB_H
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #endif
 #include <errno.h>
+#ifndef STARBOARD
 #if defined WIN32 && !defined(HAVE_GETTIMEOFDAY_H)
 #include <sys/timeb.h>
 #endif
+#endif
 #include <stdio.h>
+#ifndef STARBOARD
 #include <signal.h>
-
 #include <sys/queue.h>
 #endif
-
 #include "event.h"
 #include "event-internal.h"
 #include "evutil.h"
diff --git a/third_party/libevent/kqueue.c b/third_party/libevent/kqueue.c
index e30ba4111733..5e6a23d4472e 100644
--- a/third_party/libevent/kqueue.c
+++ b/third_party/libevent/kqueue.c
@@ -33,30 +33,27 @@
 #ifdef STARBOARD
 #include "libevent-starboard.h"
 
-#include <assert.h>
-#include <sys/types.h>
-#include <sys/event.h>
 #include <sys/socket.h>
 
 // Use libevent's local compatibility  versions of these.
 #include "third_party/libevent/compat/sys/queue.h"
 #include "third_party/libevent/compat/sys/_libevent_time.h"
-
-// Include Starboard poems after all system headers.
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/stdio_poem.h"
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/string_poem.h"
 #else  // STARBOARD
 #define _GNU_SOURCE 1
-
+#endif  // STARBOARD
 #include <sys/types.h>
+#ifndef STARBOARD
 #ifdef HAVE_SYS_TIME_H
 #include <sys/time.h>
 #else
 #include <sys/_libevent_time.h>
 #endif
 #include <sys/queue.h>
+#endif  // STARBOARD
 #include <sys/event.h>
+#ifndef STARBOARD
 #include <signal.h>
+#endif  // STARBOARD
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -66,7 +63,6 @@
 #ifdef HAVE_INTTYPES_H
 #include <inttypes.h>
 #endif
-#endif  // STARBOARD
 
 /* Some platforms apparently define the udata field of struct kevent as
  * intptr_t, whereas others define it as void*.  There doesn't seem to be an
diff --git a/third_party/libevent/log.c b/third_party/libevent/log.c
index b4b9d43c6eda..c701549d25aa 100644
--- a/third_party/libevent/log.c
+++ b/third_party/libevent/log.c
@@ -51,9 +51,6 @@
 #include "starboard/common/log.h"
 #include "starboard/system.h"
 #include "starboard/types.h"
-
-// Include Starboard poems after all system headers.
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/string_poem.h"
 #else  // STARBOARD
 #ifdef WIN32
 #define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN
@@ -61,6 +58,7 @@
 #undef WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN
 #endif
 #include <sys/types.h>
+#endif  // STARBOARD
 #ifdef HAVE_SYS_TIME_H
 #include <sys/time.h>
 #else
@@ -71,8 +69,6 @@
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <errno.h>
-#endif  // STARBOARD
-
 #include "event.h"
 
 #include "log.h"
diff --git a/third_party/libevent/poll.c b/third_party/libevent/poll.c
index 52b65336eade..ce419adab760 100644
--- a/third_party/libevent/poll.c
+++ b/third_party/libevent/poll.c
@@ -37,16 +37,9 @@
 #include "libevent-starboard.h"
 #endif  //  defined LIBEVENT_PLATFORM_HEADER
 
-#include <poll.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-
 // Use libevent's local compatibility versions of these.
 #include "third_party/libevent/compat/sys/queue.h"
 #include "third_party/libevent/compat/sys/_libevent_time.h"
-
-// Include Starboard poems after all system headers.
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/stdio_poem.h"
-#include "starboard/client_porting/poem/string_poem.h"
 #else  // STARBOARD
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #ifdef HAVE_SYS_TIME_H
@@ -55,8 +48,11 @@
 #include <sys/_libevent_time.h>
 #endif
 #include <sys/queue.h>
+#endif  // STARBOARD
 #include <poll.h>
+#ifndef STARBOARD
 #include <signal.h>
+#endif  // STARBOARD
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -65,8 +61,6 @@
 #ifdef CHECK_INVARIANTS
 #include <assert.h>
 #endif
-#endif  // STARBOARD
-
 #include "event.h"
 #include "event-internal.h"
 #ifndef STARBOARD