Swing Lo Magellan
David Longstreth
[Verse 1]
Last night, all my attention
Squinting westward at the sunset
With a map and a compass
When a man reached up, said something
There, against the sky, a ball of light
Too invisible to give itself to the naked eye
[Verse 2]
On the shore, people yelling
In their eyes, a great reflection
In the grid where they're positioned
Unconcerned with intuition
There could never be no sympathy
From that wilderness, so let it be arrested
[Verse 3]
Swing low, oh Magellan
9 by 6 or 8 by 7
Post a sentinel at the border
Of what you attempt, what you ignore
I saw my frame in a pool of light
All drowned in doubt and shame
And I knew that I had lost my sight