Atavistic Sonnet

Atavistic Sonnet

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Shadow of the gull on the airport wall, lunging

as the fuselage vaults above the meadow. Hollow in

the cornrow where the hobo slept, then a backhoe

filling up the furrow. Misery of clocks in neon

glare, whereabouts of warblers and island foxes,

an old flame googled from the dead letter office, simple

as the still-warm bench at dusk. Typing or sewing,

or bringing down a fever through a length of knotted string

and a rusted staple gun. Here comes the tattooed

witch with her drum while the royals wait by the limousine

grinning. Shadow of the gull on the airport wall,

shallows in the stairs where we fell and stepped, hollow in the

cornrow where the hobo slept, a backhoe filling the furrow.

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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.

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Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

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