The Crash of the MV Nantucket
Winter 1977
By E. Hass
This captain has had way too much to drink
The fog rolls in; he cannot see the shore.
We pray the Vineyard ferry will not sink.
The water is the colour of dark ink.
We watch it churn beneath us from the door.
This captain has had way too much to drink.
He tries to dock the boat without a kink.
Instead, the boat is smashed upon its fore.
We pray the Vineyard ferry will not sink.
He backs her up to try again (we think);
The crew upon the yacht behind us roar.
This captain has had way too much to drink.
He lurches forward to the water’s brink
And misses. Yet again we cannot moor!
We pray the Vineyard ferry will not sink.
At last, the boat meets berth without a chink,
But for our cars, we’ll wait an hour or more.
This captain has had way too much to drink.
And thank the Lord the ferry did not sink.
E. Hass loves to write and started visiting Martha’s Vineyard in 1960. Ever since, it has held a special place in her heart.
Poets with a connection to Martha’s Vineyard are encouraged to submit poems to curator Laura Roosevelt at ldroosevelt@gmail.com.
