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Like this Auschwitz barbed-wire rosary”
clipped with teeth and finger twisted,
black-blood-stained, rain-encrusted,
thorny, skin-pricking, motherly-misery-
pregnant, passed from hand to bone-ripped
ashen hand, brand of traitors
to the empire, fire in chokehold chambers
sparking visions of seraphic coal-tipped
tongs, rag-hidden prayer
ridden pearl
pruned from Israel’s bondage, now a
sign of our ingrafted bough, the
mangled laughingstock of the world”

Like this, dear son, is the whole of the blessed
and jubilant faith that we confess.

Dear Reader,

You have a decision to make: double or nothing.

For this week only, a generous supporter has offered to fully match all new and increased donations to First Things up to $60,000.

In other words, your gift of $50 unlocks $100 for First Things, your gift of $100 unlocks $200, and so on, up to a total of $120,000. But if you don’t give, nothing.

So what will it be, dear reader: double, or nothing?

Make your year-end gift go twice as far for First Things by giving now.
GIVE NOW