More life went out, when he went,
Than ordinary breath,
Lit with a finer phosphor
Requiring in the quench
A power of the renownéd cold—
The climate of the grave—
A temperature just adequate
So [To?] anthracite to live.
For some an ampler zero,
A frost more needle-keen
Is necessary to reduce
The Ethiop within.
Others extinguish easier—
A gnat’s minutest fan
Sufficient to obliterate
A tract of citizen.
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Annie Ernaux's unpublished journals, Namwali Serpell on Toni Morrison's native figures, Lauren Oyler on her AI boyfriend, and more.
Annie Ernaux's unpublished journals, Namwali Serpell on Toni Morrison's native figures, Lauren Oyler on her AI boyfriend, and more.