We are a public forum committed to collective reasoning and the imagination of a more just world. Join today to help us keep the discussion of ideas free and open to everyone, and enjoy member benefits like our quarterly books.
How yellow the sky how little the understanding
Intangible the things we know for sure
Dusty silica clouds over Europe the very same day
We brought our baby home His second Too yellow
For comfort Too sleepy Just sleepy enough
For us to sleep ourselves That was last night
Today the clouds shift Outside shifts Rain and shadows
A mezzotint glow Then no glow Heart or soul
Exactly seven pounds of civilization
Hematochrome and skin and bilirubin
Yawns blinks and can’t make up his made-up mind
The atmosphere can’t keep its own eyes open
We can’t keep our own eyes closed
Stephanie Burt, Professor of English at Harvard University, is author of several books, most recently the poetry collection Belmont.
Contributions from readers enable us to provide a public space, free and open, for the discussion of ideas. Join this effort – become a supporting reader today.
Vital reading on politics, literature, and more in your inbox. Sign up for our Weekly Newsletter, Monthly Roundup, and event notifications.
Though a means of escaping and undermining racial injustice, the practice comes with own set of costs and sacrifices.
Pioneering Afro-Brazilian geographer Milton Santos sought to redeem the field from its methodological fragmentation and colonial legacies.
It is time to stop talking about Roe as the touchstone for abortion rights and to start imagining what law and policy can do to facilitate affordable and available services.
A political and literary forum, independent and nonprofit since 1975. Registered 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more about our mission
