Ode to a Compass by Stephen JG Dawson, Jr.

Just how tender is the night

When I’m guided only by your pull

And a map that’s dotted by celestial lights?

The fright excites and fever spikes

Until darkness wanes under pallid white

And brightly softens my gaze upon you,

humble guide

“To the East,” you say as we chase the sun

I take a breath and wipe my brow

The trail looks traced and trodden now

And I’ve since forgotten how the roads became undone

I trust in you and your magnetic moor

That delves into the planet’s core

And secured our heading through tender night

I grow wearier still, but less forlorn.

---

Stephen JG Dawson Jr is a prose writer and poet from Staten Island, New York. Stephen is largely influenced by the British Romantics and Modernist Era poets.