Poem: The Magic

My students visit me in the basement.
I hand each one a small well
of ground-up letters
the color of crushed pearl,
a cream base for lids.
We study the magic of powder,
shadow, wand, brush
till beauty beats their faces
with its little tendrils
and red butterflies
settle on their cheeks.
Let my thighs sag, girls,
let my belly distend.
Let me teach you about beauty:
a slanted shipwreck
draped in its own torn sails.

Alicia Jo Rabins is a poet, musician, performer and Torah teacher based in Portland, Ore. Her book, “Divinity School,” won the 2015 American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize.