Poems / August 27, 2024

Stay-at-Home

Matthew Buckley Smith

Something is always broken in the house—
The dryer vent, the smoke alarm, the range,
A glue trap with a not-quite-murdered mouse,
The coffee pot, a bulb that needs a change.
I right some wrongs, and others I put off.
I clean, I exercise, I take a nap.
The kids need picking up. One has a cough,
The other watches TV in my lap.
We’re out of pita bread, we’re out of soap.
I might walk to the market, I might not.
Bedtime grows later. There is always hope
For sex if we’re not tired. We’re tired a lot.
My wife works hard. I do the best I can.
No one who looks at me can see a man.

Support independent journalism that exposes oligarchs and profiteers


Donald Trump’s cruel and chaotic second term is just getting started. In his first month back in office, Trump and his lackey Elon Musk (or is it the other way around?) have proven that nothing is safe from sacrifice at the altar of unchecked power and riches.

Only robust independent journalism can cut through the noise and offer clear-eyed reporting and analysis based on principle and conscience. That’s what The Nation has done for 160 years and that’s what we’re doing now.

Our independent journalism doesn’t allow injustice to go unnoticed or unchallenged—nor will we abandon hope for a better world. Our writers, editors, and fact-checkers are working relentlessly to keep you informed and empowered when so much of the media fails to do so out of credulity, fear, or fealty.

The Nation has seen unprecedented times before. We draw strength and guidance from our history of principled progressive journalism in times of crisis, and we are committed to continuing this legacy today.

We’re aiming to raise $25,000 during our Spring Fundraising Campaign to ensure that we have the resources to expose the oligarchs and profiteers attempting to loot our republic. Stand for bold independent journalism and donate to support The Nation today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel

Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Matthew Buckley Smith

Matthew Buckley Smith

More from The Nation

A view of the Butano Redwood Canyon in Pescadero, California, 2011.

Why “The Living Mountain” Endures Why “The Living Mountain” Endures

Nan Shepard’s classic of nature writing and memoir is an education in how to reorient one's attention to a landscape and its lifeforms, human and nonhuman.

Books & the Arts / Jenny Odell

A scene from “Severance.”

The Workplace Nightmares of “Severance” The Workplace Nightmares of “Severance”

The appeal of the Apple TV+ series is how it dramatizes our alienation from labor.

Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

A restaurant on Atlanta’s BeltLine trail.

How Atlanta Became a Walkable City How Atlanta Became a Walkable City

The Beltline and Georgia's experiment in pedestrian spaces.

Books & the Arts / Karrie Jacobs

Nation Poetry

The B-Sides of the “Golden Record,” Track Eleven: “How Will You Begin?” The B-Sides of the “Golden Record,” Track Eleven: “How Will You Begin?”

Books & the Arts / Sumita Chakraborty

Gatsby at 100

Gatsby at 100 Gatsby at 100

The classic as past and prologue.

Richard Kreitner