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Geode
The plagues we wished upon ourselves
With aloe juice and cayenne
The planets we strained to reach
That was how being young tasted
Each of us a geode looking to be cracked open
And to crack each other open
Over and over
I am no longer young except to those who are older
In the way that youth moves along
The conveyor belt
At a consistent distance
I drink water now
I try to be gentle
The years crack you open enough
Copyright © 2015 by Alicia Jo Rabins. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on October 2, 2015, by the Academy of American Poets.
Copyright © 2015 by Alicia Jo Rabins. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on October 2, 2015, by the Academy of American Poets.

Alicia Jo Rabins
Alicia Jo Rabins is the author of Divinity School (Copper Canyon Press, 2015). She is a composer, performer and Torah teacher based in Portland, Oregon.