In Frozen Turmoil

Shift after shift,
The fields change.
Moment by moment.
Past and future
Merge then diverge.
A sturdy compass,
Once true,
Now argues with stars.
Now agrees
As real shifts.
Do stars lie
Or merely hide?

The ship’s rudder twists
And turns and bends
From side to side
And path to path,
Loosed from the wheel.
Freed to the fates.
The currents pull.
The winds push.
Fore, aft –
Nowhere.

The ship flounders,
Its path uncharted
As lies and right
And truths and wrong
Battle and dance –
Stirring the storm
And casting the ship
Forward, back, and beyond
In frozen turmoil.