She loved him in the way girls only can
At sixteen, with a maelstrom of desire.
She lingered on his every word. He’d fan
Her glowing embers into open fire.
He pressed his clear advantage, and cajoled:
It’s nothing but a little patch of tissue—
Girls lose it every day. She tried to hold
Him back, explaining sex was not the issue.
She wanted their involvement to be holy—
As sacred as the altar’s golden cup . . .
Momentously transcendent, and not solely
A bloody splotch on bedclothes. He got up
And dressed himself, then said with calm precision
I’ll certainly respect your firm decision.
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.
