The Scratch machine dispenses fun
in little pictures. You choose one
as flat and bright as a cartoon
of GI Joe and his platoon.
When no one sees, you take a shot
and feed the only bill you’ve got
that’s crisp enough into the slot
And then just stand there,
deep in the thrall of a riddle, a dare,
as behind the illuminated rows,
the deus ex machina inside it slows,
and drops into your waiting hand
whatever fate Fat Chance has planned”
lose five bucks, win fifty grand.
Beneath the chartered camouflage,
the pink flamingos and Macaws,
you scrape away with black thumbnail,
as if it were the Seventh Seal,
or sweetheart’s answer come by mail”
you’re deemed a loser by those laws
no one can trespass or appeal.
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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