First there was magic,
incantation;
pure bulls
walking the walls of Lascaux,
bull leapers in Knossus.
Then worship, altars
raised to heaven,
to earth;
Aphrodite sailing
her shell-white body,
Christ ascending
on his cruciplane.
And then perfection
worshipped as magic:
Phidias caressing marble thighs,
Michelangelo creating
David’s consummate curve.
Now we bow before
ego-scrawl,
subway canvasses
posed on pompous walls;
the id-beast loosed,
numbering the earth.
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.
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