Page:Main Street and other poems, Kilmer, 1917.djvu/83

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MAIN STREET AND OTHER POEMS


THE WHITE SHIPS AND THE RED (continued)

"But never crashing iceberg
Nor honest shot of foe,
Nor hidden reef has sent me
The way that I must go.
My wound that stains the waters,
My blood that is like flame,
Bear witness to a loathly deed,
A deed without a name.


"I went not forth to battle,
I carried friendly men,
The children played about my decks,
The women sang—and then—
And then—the sun blushed scarlet
And Heaven hid its face,
The world that God created
Became a shameful place!


"My wrong cries out for vengeance,
The blow that sent me here
Was aimed in Hell. My dying scream

Has reached Jehovah's ear.

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