The Broken Compass

The Broken Compass

I carry a compass

that’s been broken for years.

Its needle spins,

then stops,

always pointing somewhere

it swears is north.

And I believe it,

more often than I should.

Because moving toward something

feels better

than admitting you have no idea

where you are.

I’ve watched people follow theirs

straight into fire,

into arms that never meant them well,

into silence

that looked, for a moment,

like peace.

A broken compass

won’t admit it’s broken.

That’s the trick.

It remembers its job

long after it’s forgotten

how to do it.

And we, loyal creatures,

mistake motion for meaning.

You can spend a lifetime

chasing a needle

that loves to lie.

And it’ll leave you

in the middle of a field,

the stars unfamiliar,

the air different

in a way you can’t explain.

The secret no one tells you is:

the compass isn’t meant to lead you home.

It’s meant to teach you

the weight of your own steps

when no one’s marking the trail.

North was never a direction.

It was just the first lie

we all agreed to follow.

Reviews

[Broken.buddy]

What a deep and powerful meditation on the human tendency to seek direction and meaning in life, even when our guiding principles have become flawed or obsolete!

who is to say what is true and what is false, only experience or trust can teach that to us or control us. The language is rich and evocative, with vivid imagery that highlights the struggle between the desire for certainty and the reality of uncertainty. Well done and thank you for sharing this

[M 💕]

Thank you so much for your kind review! I really appreciate it so much, and you're right, only our experience and trust can teach that to us. Thanks again :)