Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). The New Poetry: An Anthology. 1917.
InvocationFlorence Kilpatrick Mixter
T
A dream where Christ walked on the sea;
And, shipwrecked, I called out, to hear
His quiet answer, “I am near.”
But when the waves had risen high
I doubted—till I heard him cry:
“Come take my hand, beloved one—
The long and lonely night is done.
Fear not! and you shall walk with me,
As Peter walked, upon the sea.”
To answer; but awake I know
The clutching terror of the heart
That feels the weed-choked waters part,
And, drowning, rears a Christ who stands
With dim-remembered outstretched hands.
Who knows if Peter’s Christ is mine?
Like Peter, now, I ask a sign …
If Christ still walks upon the sea—