Howling at Florescent Lights
There should be a sign / Feed the Teachers / or / they’ll cry creosote cosigns / ignite integers / & bayonet better than any Bolshevik / some are carnivores / some are herbivores / never to be trusted when hungry / they’ll snap more humans than hippos / mouths / two feet wide / gift of tongues: Latin, Spanish, French, & English / parselmouths to be sure / Jane Eyre & Beloved / blah, blah, blah / sums how they feel / sick / tired / an old pair of pants found at a rummage sale / lost in time / one after another / they come / sit / greet / talk / sit / & greet / they can’t seem to remember which child they’re talking about / 8 am to 3 pm / Saturday / acid rain storm stomachs / cotton-mouth conversations / permanent cheek hurting smile / until / ambling admins arrive tossing bottled water into their cages / with sham smiles & pep talks / shutting the door behind them / Water! / A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh / !! / two teachers laugh / a delirious kind of laugh / Water! / wolves lapping / Water! / howling at florescent lights / the last hour / now endurable / a knock at the door / Yes, please come in / you’re the last on my parent-teacher conference list / she says with a spent smile.
Nancy Byrne Iannucci is a historian who teaches history and lives poetry in Troy, NY. Her work is published/forthcoming in numerous publications including Bop Dead City, Allegro Poetry Magazine, Gargoyle, Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, Typehouse Literary Magazine, Riggwelter Press, Three Drops from a Cauldron, Picaroon Poetry, Dying Dahlia Review to name a few. Her debut book of poetry, Temptation of Wood, was recently published by Nixes Mate Review.