Nanna’s accordion
is gathering dust
on a plywood floor
at the top of the stairs.
She got it in ’41,
back when she was just
a child, before the war.
Kids themselves, her heirs
can’t bear its squawking spirit,
its raw asthmatic
rasp, or its wheezing
sick-room breath.
They imagine they hear it,
even from the attic;
a sound once pleasing,
now too much like death.
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.
