My Husband Tells Me About a Man Who Doesn’t Kill Himself

My Husband Tells Me About a Man Who Doesn’t Kill Himself

My Husband Tells Me About a Man Who Doesn’t Kill Himself

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

We are trapped in traffic beneath the overpass,
and the man in his story trembles on the edge

of an overpass eight hundred miles west of here. Here,
I have not tried to die for some years now.

The point of his story is the call
someone makes to nearby truck drivers. Together,

they gather beneath the man to form a net of big rigs
and wait for as long as it takes for a person to reconsider

the impossibility of tomorrow. I’ve known
the mangled shape the mouth makes begging someone

not to die. Which is different from begging her to live.
My husband’s mouth, I think, makes this shape now.

All my life I thought I was hard to love.

An urgent message from the Editors

As the editors of The Nation, it’s not usually our role to fundraise. Today, however, we’re putting out a special appeal to our readers, because there are only hours left in 2025 and we’re still $20,000 away from our goal of $75,000. We need you to help close this gap. 

Your gift to The Nation directly supports the rigorous, confrontational, and truly independent journalism that our country desperately needs in these dark times.

2025 was a terrible year for press freedom in the United States. Trump launched personal attack after personal attack against journalists, newspapers, and broadcasters across the country, including multiple billion-dollar lawsuits. The White House even created a government website to name and shame outlets that report on the administration with anti-Trump bias—an exercise in pure intimidation.

The Nation will never give in to these threats and will never be silenced. In fact, we’re ramping up for a year of even more urgent and powerful dissent. 

With the 2026 elections on the horizon, and knowing Trump’s history of false claims of fraud when he loses, we’re going to be working overtime with writers like Elie Mystal, John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Jeet Heer, Kali Holloway, Katha Pollitt, and Chris Lehmann to cut through the right’s spin, lies, and cover-ups as the year develops.

If you donate before midnight, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by a generous donor. We hope you’ll make our work possible with a donation. Please, don’t wait any longer.

In solidarity,

The Nation Editors

x