St. Christopher and the Christ Child
Cummer Museum of Art
Jacksonville, FL
Does he calm the storm, or call it closer? Divinity
hasn’t stopped the weight of his body from pressing
my shoulders into a grimace. I should have known
he wanted more than this red robe, more than me,
as I dug my staff into the river, avoiding sirens
I thought were myth. If I could see his eyes, fixed
on some invisible thing, would I see affection or
authority? I may not know the difference. I agreed
to serve, but I didn’t know I’d be carrying this child,
his boyish voice dripping down as he commanded me
to walk until I couldn’t. He’d already be saving the world,
he says, if only Mary had kept her promise to teach him
how to swim. He loves me for the little I can offer, a hand
steady in my matted hair, cold toes hanging to tickle my ear.
Editor's Note: Here's a link to the painting: https://lucascranach.org/en/US_CM_C203-1/
Connor Watkins-Xu holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland and a BA from Baylor University. His poems can be found in Ploughshares, storySouth, MAYDAY, and elsewhere. His manuscript was named a semifinalist for the 2023 Tupelo Press Berkshire Prize. He is the recipient of an Academy of American Poets University Prize and scholarships to the Southampton Writers Conference and New York State Summer Writers Institute. Originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he currently lives in Seattle. He’d love to hear from you @connorwatkinsxu on Instagram.
Grand Little Things 