from “Mojave Ghost”

from Mojave Ghost

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email
Poems / December 17, 2024

from Mojave Ghost

from “Mojave Ghost”

Forrest Gander

                *
She wasn’t fixed, necessarily, on happiness
which she couldn’t, in any case, distinguish
from luck. What she wanted was to flourish.

Happiness, she said once, is for amateurs.

He spoke earnestly, looking into her eyes for confirmation—
of what? She listened as though there could be a secret
wrapped in each of his words. His breath was a little bad.
His eyes, round and small and without
noticeable lashes. Like the eyes of an eel, she thought.

Yes, she answered. In a voice he can
still hear—as low and sure
and fragile as lichens. A sound
like stars in the daytime sky. Yes,
we’ll make it last.

Which is when a squadron of California
quail burst from the coyote brush.

Because if love doesn’t survive, why would you want to?

Support The Nation’s June Fundraising Campaign

With the midterm elections now firmly upon us, the question is whether Democratic candidates will do more than merely occupy ballot lines as mild alternatives to the red-hot crisis that is Donald Trump.

As Trump spends over $1 billion a day on a globally destabilizing war on Iran and admits that he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation,” millions across the country are struggling with the surging costs of essentials. Democrats must seize this moment and advance bold, small-“d” populist ideas—not settle for cynical caution that once again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Nation elevates progressive ideas, movements, and elected officials achieving real change across the country into the national conversation. At the same time, our journalists are exposing how crypto and AI-funded super PACs are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to knock out candidates they oppose, reporting on the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act, and sounding the alarm on attempts by red states to quickly redraw electoral maps, disenfranchising Southern Black voters.

We can play this critical role because of support from readers like you. This June, we’re raising $20,000 to power The Nation’s independent journalism in the run-up to November’s immensely consequential elections.

It’s in our power to build a more just society, and your support at this critical moment brings us closer to that bold vision. I hope you’ll donate today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x