Chrome Napkin holder catches light
Compass needle trembles slow
Salt worn fingers trace the glass
Bearing fixed on coffee steam
True north sits in booth three
Silver case holds steady course
Storm tossed heart finds solid ground
Magnetic pull brings home again
Waitress pours without a word
Knows the rhythm of the night
Keeps the cup topped off and dark
Fuel for journeys measured out
Lamp oil scent on wool coat sleeves
Fog horn memory in throat
Twenty years of blinking light
Now reduced to pocket size
True north sits in booth three
Silver case holds steady course
Storm tossed heart finds solid ground
Magnetic pull brings home again
No rocks to split a hull apart
No log to write in copper plate
Just vinyl cracked and neon hum
And direction found at last
Dawn will bleed through greasy glass
Truckers shift and drivers wake
Compass snapped shut, slipped in coat
Bearing set for one more mile
True north sits in booth three
Silver case held steady course
Storm tossed heart found solid ground
Magnetic pull brought home again
Needle rests on kitchen north
Coffee cold and compass warm
