The ward Sister rings a small bell for the Angelus. In the corridor, everyone drops to their knees. I duck into the private room and slide the tray onto the over-bed table.

“Thanks. Stay for a chat till she’s finished.”

Mr. Becton’s skin is a deep ochre against the white of the pillow. I watch, breath held, as he slowly guides the teacup to his mouth. “Good and hot.”

“My dad always insists on piping hot tea,” I say.

He looks at the stiff scrambled eggs and the damp toast, then sighs. “Jaysus. I’d love a sausage, but they won’t let a dying man have what he likes.”

“I’ll bring you a hot Batch-loaf sandwich tomorrow. Promise. I’m on lates.”

He winks at me. “What are you doing working here? You always have a book under your arm. One of them is banned in this country. I used to work in Customs.”

“I bought The Occult in London,” I tell him. “I’m saving for college.”

“Make real money. I’ll get you a job on the MV Saint Killian. She sails from Gothenburg in a month. Go to the Irish Seaman’s Union on the North Strand. Tell that man Stacy, that Dick Becton sent you. He owes me. You’ll be sorted.”

As he leans back into the pillow and closes his eyes, the bell rings again in the corridor.

seed moon 
fills the harbour mouth 
empty slipway  

Publisher’s Note:

As a few folks know, I have a fondness for ferries. During 25 years of residence in the Puget Sound area, I enjoyed hundreds of ferry rides on various vessels, including those on the jumbo-class MV Spokane during my commute for two years between Edmonds and Kingston, WA. And I simply could not resist researching the ferry mentioned above in Mary White’s haibun.

The beautiful and beloved ship known as the MV Saint Killian was first launched in 1972 as the Stena Scandinavica and operated for Stena Line on the Gothenburg-Kiel route in Sweden from 1973 to 1978. After being sold to the Irish Continental Line in early 1978, she was formally renamed Saint Killian in Gothenburg. She began operating for Irish Ferries in May 1978 on routes between Ireland and France. In 1981, she was out of service for a year while being lengthened 32 metres (105 feet), after which she was renamed Saint Killian II. During the next 20 years of service, she was resold and renamed three times more. For details of her history and photographs, see MV Saint Killian (II) by Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow at Dover Ferry Photos (8 January 2025).

Mary White

is a painter and poet living in Sandycove, County Dublin, Ireland. She writes haiku and haibun, creates haiga, and has participated in many renku. Her debut haiku collection, a filament of radiance, was released in May 2026 by Alba Publishing. Her poems and haiga have appeared in Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Blithe Spirit, cattails, Failed Haiku, Frogpond Journal, The Haibun Journal, hedgerow, The Heron’s Nest, Modern Haiku, Presence, and Seashores Haiku Journal.

Ms. White’s acapella group created a performance piece using her haiku. During the Covid pandemic, she taught a “Learn and Share Haiku” class online. A retired librarian, she loves time with her family, friends, and her two Springer Spaniels.

More on the Web: By, About, and Beyond

⚡ New to Haiku: Advice for Beginners – Mary White, interview by Julie Bloss Kelsey for The Haiku Foundation (14 August 2022)