Black linework compass rose with a letter N and dotted north line on the inner forearm, filled with a blue watercolour-style splash.

Compass rose on a forearm

Forearm · Mixed · Photo

A compass rose with an N at the top sits on the inner forearm, drawn in bold black linework with dashed guide lines and a dotted line running up and down through the centre. Behind the design is a loose blue wash with splatters that extend beyond the outline, giving a painted look. The composition is centred on the forearm, with the wrist and hand visible at the top of the frame against a plain grey background.

Forearm Compass Compass rose North Splash Dotted line Wrist

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Tomasz, the wind has gone round to the north again, so Father says we'll see the Varne light by Thursday if the tide holds. I've been sitting on the lamp-room step with your chart spread across my knees, the one with the compass rose you drew in the corner in blue ink, and I keep thinking the wash you put behind it has run into the sea itself. You always did press too hard on the pen. The black lines are steady enough, but the blue bleeds out past the circle like something spilled from a cup.

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Mrs Pryor brought the post up from the quay this morning and there was nothing from the Adela, though the harbourmaster swears her papers were stamped in Lisbon. I told him I didn't need his papers. I need a line in your hand saying you are dry and eating properly. He said a man can't write from the bottom of the Bay of Biscay, which made me laugh until I was cross with myself for laughing.

I've pinned your rose above the stove where the dampness can't reach it. Each evening I put my finger on the N and turn it until it points at the door, and each morning it has crept back round to the window. Father says the needle is wrong about half the time out here, the iron in the cliffs pulls it off true. So I have stopped asking which way is north and started asking which way you would walk if you were lost, and the answer, I think, is always towards the light.

The lamp is trimmed. I'll keep it burning until you write, or until I stop being able to tell the difference between the two.