MY BROTHER’S INTERVENTION

He thought he knew better than Jonah

who thought he knew better than God.

More than twenty-five years of rocking

boats in the wrong direction, he soaked

up Italy, Germany, Denmark. My God!

Even the Vikings lost their bearings

when he was in their waters. Concierges

did not know how he managed to Pollock

their walls with Jellyfish cocktails. Broken

glass, black eyes, and bloody noses, he

left trails of wickedness that rivaled the

city of Nineveh and Keith Moon. When

sober, he longed for Long Island-

Cold Spring Harbor: the sunset, the swans,

the egrets, his family and friends.

He trusted the whale. We waited inside,

hoping he’d consent to rise to the surface.     

Nancy Byrne Iannucci is a Long Island, NY native who now lives in Troy, NY. Her poetry can be found in many publications including Allegro Poetry Magazine, Gargoyle, Typehouse Literary Magazine, Three Drops from a Cauldron, The Mantle. Her debut book of poetry, Temptation of Wood, was recently published in 2018 (Nixes Mate Review).