The peak that paints the lake
Is quick to break.
A height becomes a depth,
A life a death.
An Eiger sinks beneath
The eager cleat
As seeking shows us what
We sought is not.
To find a seeker’s pleasure
In self-erasure
The mountaineer must wish
Herself to mist.
—Amit Majmudar
Photo by thijser via Creative Commons.
Books for Christmas—2025
Surveys indicate that reading books is dropping precipitously across all age groups. This is a tragedy in…
What We’ve Been Reading—Autumn 2025
First Things staff share their most recent autumn reading recommendations.
Walker Percy’s Pilgrimage
People can get used to most anything. Even the abyss may be rendered tolerable—or, for that matter,…