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?

Hold the powerful to account by supporting The Nation

The chaos and cruelty of the Trump administration reaches new lows each week.

Trump’s catastrophic “Liberation Day” has wreaked havoc on the world economy and set up yet another constitutional crisis at home. Plainclothes officers continue to abduct university students off the streets. So-called “enemy aliens” are flown abroad to a mega prison against the orders of the courts. And Signalgate promises to be the first of many incompetence scandals that expose the brutal violence at the core of the American empire.

At a time when elite universities, powerful law firms, and influential media outlets are capitulating to Trump’s intimidation, The Nation is more determined than ever before to hold the powerful to account.

In just the last month, we’ve published reporting on how Trump outsources his mass deportation agenda to other countries, exposed the administration’s appeal to obscure laws to carry out its repressive agenda, and amplified the voices of brave student activists targeted by universities.

We also continue to tell the stories of those who fight back against Trump and Musk, whether on the streets in growing protest movements, in town halls across the country, or in critical state elections—like Wisconsin’s recent state Supreme Court race—that provide a model for resisting Trumpism and prove that Musk can’t buy our democracy.

This is the journalism that matters in 2025. But we can’t do this without you. As a reader-supported publication, we rely on the support of generous donors. Please, help make our essential independent journalism possible with a donation today.

In solidarity,

The Editors

The Nation

Ad Policy
x