I feel less lonely when I watch TV:
The heartbreak and the healing both go quicker,
And Marketing’s best minds keep courting me
As though my name were capping a marquee—
It might as well, since I control the clicker.
I feel less blue, too, watching: though TV
Can’t do much more than mute a tragedy
(The ten o’clock news scrolls its frantic ticker),
It compensates with ample comedy—
Reruns alone could last an eternity!
That comfort bathes me in its bluish flicker.
I feel less lonely when I watch TV,
Though lately not as often. When I see
My favorite sitcom couples snipe and bicker—
They used to smile, to beam, accepting me
Into their homes; now they seem less carefree,
And the canned laughter sounds like one long snicker.
I get so lonely when I watch TV,
Where everyone plays a part apart from me.
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.
