Already you are old, and I am too.
Let’s join old age, embrace the time we’ve found,
and make of winter’s shiver warmer ground
and milder spring, as much as we can do.
A man is never old who does not know
he is—he shifts his course at the year’s new seams,
weaves new thread into his cloth and seems
a snake who sheds his skin to feel his glow.
Remove this crust of impudence disguised.
The laws of nature cannot be revised,
nor wrinkles contradict the mirror’s glare,
nor falling breasts rise up when they are bare.
Time will tear the mask off when you’re drawn,
and the black crow I was will be a swan.
—Terese Coe
Time is short, so I’ll be direct: FIRST THINGS needs you. And we need you by December 31 at 11:59 p.m., when the clock will strike zero. Give now at supportfirstthings.com.
First Things does not hesitate to call out what is bad. Today, there is much to call out. Yet our editors, authors, and readers like you share a greater purpose. And we are guided by a deeper, more enduring hope.
Your gift of $50, $100, or even $250 or more will bring this message of hope to many more people in the new year.
Make your gift now at supportfirstthings.com.
First Things needs you. I’m confident you’ll answer the call.
