Simon, The Rock Poem by Kevin Rice

At his command we rowed from shore
Till finally, afar in the Sea of Galilee
Our sail snatched up the wind
And bore us forth
Above the musht and biny

Firm stood I at the bow,
Simon the strong,
Born on the northern shores of my livelihood.
I knew my craft; my nets were sure;
I knew the risks and dangers
and every inch and crevice
Of my boat's timbers.
Small wonder then
That, with no warning,
In the fourth watch of night,
Fierce headwinds struck upon our only hope
Of a safe homecoming.

Then, at my back, a voice called in alarm
A spirit moved towards us on the waters,
With what intent we knew not
But close it came
And closer, till I recognised the Lord
Who bid me come to Him
At my entreaty

And I, Cephas the wonderful
Fixing my gaze upon the Lord
Stepped from our craft
And childlike walked the waves
Towards my glory.
Too soon my eyes had wandered
To the frenzied sea
My ears no longer heard
His calm encouragement
So full were they of flood and tempest
And my own despairing cries.
What little faith was mine was truly lost
As all my glory floundered.

No more assured was I
Or full of firm belief
When John and I
Had raced in sheer bewilderment
To a gloomy sepulchre, at dawn, confused,
Determined to disprove
A female fantasy

When I beheld the stone
No longer firm across the entrance,
The grave clothes laid aside
And no cadaver where we knew he lay,
I had no thought of miracles
and only saw the truth the women told,
The tomb unoccupied

I am the rock
That bears the mark of shame
No notable conviction, no anchored trust
Sets me apart
I doubted like the rest
Until I saw
The marks of resurrection.