Overture to a Tragedy

Overture to a Tragedy

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Greetings to you who holds me close.
I hold you close because of your beauty
(I wanted to possess your beauty)—

The beauty which leaves your body that remains.

Greetings to you who stares at my face.
I stare at your face because of your smile
(I wanted to possess your smile)—

The smile which leaves your lips that remain.

Greetings to you who wakes me from sleep.
I wake you from sleep because of your dreams
(I wanted to possess your dreams)—

The dreams with nowhere to go when you wake.

Greetings to you and your luminous gaze.
You know that I’m not a thief.
I covet only one thing irresistibly,

Your heart—I beg you,

please, replace my heart with yours.

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.

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The Editors of The Nation

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