He saw twelve cellos once in silent choir,
like bathers poised and dripping by the wall
to leap beyond a lifeguards beckoning.
The shop was open: RENTAL & REPAIR
OF DOUBLE-BASSES, CELLOS, VIO-
LINS BY EXPERT. Bows and strings.
One oscillating wave . . . the moving air
submerged him in its tide. The full
rooms “hummm” refracted, flooding
through the prism of his ear;
one tone widened to display all
tones. The spectrum of all things
a man could speak and hear
rainbowed in his mind and he must kneel:
the umber trees with burnt-sienna sheen
reveal their music in a prayer
that he can learn and tell
in praise that these carved woods will sing.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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