“While other stars’ apparent positions in the sky change throughout the night, as they appear to rotate around the celestial poles, pole stars’ apparent positions remain essentially fixed. This makes them especially useful in celestial navigation and determining latitude.”

Polaris

The tip of her nose
felt frostbitten in September,
and his fingertips thawed
it. They pointed out from
the camouflaged blanket
toward the Seven Sisters,
Orion’s Belt, the Milky Way.

“But that,” he whispered,
“Is the most important star
in the sky—the North Star.”

Her whole life she cluttered
her soul, schedule,
body with nameless
constellations.

She spun on her own
axis, moving from one bright
spot in the sky to
the next.

But yesterday,
he took her face in
his hands and told her
he would never leave her.

He is Polaris.