The Sons of Katie Elder make such noise!
Dad’s fast asleep, despite his three grandsons
waving their toy pistols, kiddy cowboys
shouting to be heard above John Wayne’s guns.
Mom sits out in the kitchen, where the din
is slightly less ear-splitting, with her boys.
We try to talk, but can’t seem to begin;
glad for the kids and their disruptive toys.
The doctors say it’s spreading quickly now.
It still seems like there must be some mistake.
Mom does what women do, fights through somehow
to give him what he needs when he’s awake;
still throws the curtains wide each day at dawn
to what remains of winter’s weakening sun.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Myth of St. Francis
At the beginning of his 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis speaks of “an episode in the…
Job and Her
It is said that Job lost everything, but she has lost more. All her possessions—the money, the…
Letters—November 2026
I appreciate J. H. H. Weiler’s desire for God’s mercy to be extended to Gentiles and his…
