North Star

Awoken rudely by drops of rain
Stiff and sore I loathe this pain
Out cold for hours, still heavy with sleep
Yet I feel no rest, adrift in the deep

The scorching sun has baked my skin
Body and soul have both worn thin
The salty spray has filled my lungs
My bottle’s dry my ration’s gone

The only hope to my salvation
Is my inept skill at navigation
Only Polaris is my guide
But on this raft I cannot steer, I ride

What good it does me is that I know
Where the tide brings me with it’s ebb and flow
I know not, if the shore be near or far
But I know it’s straight, so says the North Star

Keats
07-16-09