Love the lovely boomerang
remands, in command and countermand,
circumnavigations that sang
exile and reply out of the waiving hand.
The little hertz of heartbeat
(or the singing voice in graph)
so necessary, so obsolete
like the dead’s last telegraph.
Love the lovely boomerang,
mahogany curved bands
in unrequited air hang
mobile”then as if in reprimand
the striped wood taciturn, turns and turns”
to the willing hand returns.
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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