Night Soil

Night Soil

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

A random walk, its ordinary motion
blurring chronology. Behind, a
seascape. As if on a ship’s deck.

Fear of defeat is an old habit. All this fuss, with my
hat pushed back. Honeyed phantastic. En-
raptured soul. Another blow.

From the end of the corridor, at the kitchen
window. These frosts are cruel. I am not
up to them. Out on the balcony, basking.

History is trash. Elaborate battles make
peace and then, after spectacular defeat,
I may go and I may not.

I’m in a bad mood, forever. We bring no
resemblance. Torment and dreams. Grotesque and in-
clement. Always the same amazing luck.

Rest before the fireplace, forget
fine spacing. To control noise by
attacking the odds. Grope for the knob.

Shutting out light and air. Cold stone
floor. Sinking. Devouring
pit. Dissolve, now, the dungeon.

Streaks of light stream from your
shadow. Redisposed. Clouds are not
simply carried. We observe words and winds.

The door slams behind us. Not so much
forced by the sun as simply
coasting under our own inertia.

The knives of reality. Repeat the names.
Doves, when they fight. Scorn is best and
yes, we may go and we may not.

Disobey authoritarians, support The Nation

Over the past year you’ve read Nation writers like Elie Mystal, Kaveh Akbar, John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Bryce Covert, Dave Zirin, Jeet Heer, Michael T. Klare, Katha Pollitt, Amy Littlefield, Gregg Gonsalves, and Sasha Abramsky take on the Trump family’s corruption, set the record straight about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s catastrophic Make America Healthy Again movement, survey the fallout and human cost of the DOGE wrecking ball, anticipate the Supreme Court’s dangerous antidemocratic rulings, and amplify successful tactics of resistance on the streets and in Congress.

We publish these stories because when members of our communities are being abducted, household debt is climbing, and AI data centers are causing water and electricity shortages, we have a duty as journalists to do all we can to inform the public.

In 2026, our aim is to do more than ever before—but we need your support to make that happen. 

Through December 31, a generous donor will match all donations up to $75,000. That means that your contribution will be doubled, dollar for dollar. If we hit the full match, we’ll be starting 2026 with $150,000 to invest in the stories that impact real people’s lives—the kinds of stories that billionaire-owned, corporate-backed outlets aren’t covering. 

With your support, our team will publish major stories that the president and his allies won’t want you to read. We’ll cover the emerging military-tech industrial complex and matters of war, peace, and surveillance, as well as the affordability crisis, hunger, housing, healthcare, the environment, attacks on reproductive rights, and much more. At the same time, we’ll imagine alternatives to Trumpian rule and uplift efforts to create a better world, here and now. 

While your gift has twice the impact, I’m asking you to support The Nation with a donation today. You’ll empower the journalists, editors, and fact-checkers best equipped to hold this authoritarian administration to account. 

I hope you won’t miss this moment—donate to The Nation today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel 

Editor and publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x