Messenger

Messenger

The birds stopped coming after the annuals died.
I didn’t realize how much I missed them until the bluebird

Returned, lured by the burgundy haze of the fall pansies
Pouring from the window boxes. I was too slow finding

The camera and then I left the cap on. The bird rose
Into a cut of sky and I was left with a vision of blue–

His sapphire eye and marigold breast. Maybe it was you,
Released from your standing body–fingers fluid between

Tissue and organ–as you operate in the crowded surgical
Theatre, transformed to tell me autumn is here. I would not

Be surprised. This brief visit imitates your frequent calls
Between cases. After he flies, the room seems to hold you.

I see the white waves throwing themselves into the Cliffs
Of Moher, your eyes stealing blue from the sky.

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The birds stopped coming after the annuals died.
I didn’t realize how much I missed them until the bluebird

Returned, lured by the burgundy haze of the fall pansies
Pouring from the window boxes. I was too slow finding

The camera and then I left the cap on. The bird rose
Into a cut of sky and I was left with a vision of blue–

His sapphire eye and marigold breast. Maybe it was you,
Released from your standing body–fingers fluid between

Tissue and organ–as you operate in the crowded surgical
Theatre, transformed to tell me autumn is here. I would not

Be surprised. This brief visit imitates your frequent calls
Between cases. After he flies, the room seems to hold you.

I see the white waves throwing themselves into the Cliffs
Of Moher, your eyes stealing blue from the sky.

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

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