We never exactly mean to dawdle
or let the day slip by.
I stopped at the pond for just a moment
to see if the mallards would try
the corn I’d found for them last evening.
I didn’t stay too long.
But times moves slower near to water,
the lazy current strong.
And there are fish to watch in the shallows,
with small new signs of spring:
the green-touched reeds and the willow catkins
like down on a duckling’s wing.
And now I’m hurried, hot and tardy,
with penalties to pay,
returned to the world of busy people
and clocks that keep the day.
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
A Woman’s East of Eden
Zoe Kazan’s seven-part Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden brings a woman’s sensibility to a…
Women Should Not Tolerate Porn
Young women today have unrealistically high standards. When I speak to conservative young men about dating, this…
The Zone of Commitment
Neal climbs up to join me at the belay. Moving quickly, he kicks the front points of…
