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.
“This poem is from ‘Fruit Geode,’ a manuscript in progress that meditates on the experience of pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood. As I grow older, and life bangs me up a little bit, I learn how to be a little bit gentler towards others and towards myself. Much as I love and respect the wildness of youth, saying goodbye to that is the subject of this poem.”
—Alicia Jo Rabins
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.