Traffic by Nancy Byrne Iannucci

CC BY SA 3.0

first published in Bop Dead City

Stained glass street lamps guide travelers through dense frankincense. The eastbound lane passes fourteen rest stops of condemnation, whores, & afflicted mothers visible only to those rubbernecking. They reach their destination by the shore & watch their children in white diving head-first into pools of oily rejuvenation, trusting they’ll lead lives free of temptation. The westbound lane moves at a 6 pm Long Island Expressway pace en route to the city; as they inch closer & closer they question & curse their plight; they blast their horns in tears. The long wait to their destinations, to their homes, to their loved ones seem like centuries to bear after a long day. The heat of the afternoon singes their black clothing through the sun glaring glass. As they exit the tunnel passing the entering eastbound traffic, they both dip their fingers into the holy water.

Nancy Byrne Iannucci is a Long Island, NY native who now resides in Troy, NY., where she teaches history and lives poetry.  Her debute chapbook, Temptation of Wood, was recently published in 2018 (Nixes Mate Review).