Merkwelt
The weather in this room is eel-black,
a gel-like ointment.
It is a cream-like substance
the exact texture of death.
It lives, like a dream, inside the body.
I have tried but I cannot
get it out.
I am showing you the history of life
through a series of unrelated gestures.
You can talk to the dead just like you talk to the living.
There is a blonde field and dark river
that seams along the edge of its forest.
A fracturing, television-like static.
Glitter and beads, animal, mineral.
Memory as a form of matter.
I have an accident every five years
and one year it won’t be accident.
Can we count on you?
In the coming election, the fate of our democracy and fundamental civil rights are on the ballot. The conservative architects of Project 2025 are scheming to institutionalize Donald Trump’s authoritarian vision across all levels of government if he should win.
We’ve already seen events that fill us with both dread and cautious optimism—throughout it all, The Nation has been a bulwark against misinformation and an advocate for bold, principled perspectives. Our dedicated writers have sat down with Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders for interviews, unpacked the shallow right-wing populist appeals of J.D. Vance, and debated the pathway for a Democratic victory in November.
Stories like these and the one you just read are vital at this critical juncture in our country’s history. Now more than ever, we need clear-eyed and deeply reported independent journalism to make sense of the headlines and sort fact from fiction. Donate today and join our 160-year legacy of speaking truth to power and uplifting the voices of grassroots advocates.
Throughout 2024 and what is likely the defining election of our lifetimes, we need your support to continue publishing the insightful journalism you rely on.
Thank you,
The Editors of The Nation