Like Ghosts

by Nancy Byrne Iannucci

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee
—John Donne

Headstones move

like grandfather clocks,

sinking with the setting sun —

And then the taphophiles come,

to rub and resurrect

our faded ancestors.

We stagger by with the mist —

Like ghosts fogging

the stained glass.

Our minds wane

with these ancient names

from drinks

at The Rising Sun,

and I think —

who will remember

us when our names are

no longer legible.

Church at Sunset by Emma Byrne Hickman


Nancy Byrne Iannucci is a New York-based writer and author of four chapbooks. A two-time Best of the Net nominee, she was short-listed for the 2025 Poetry Lighthouse prize. Her work appears in several places including Thrush, Maudlin House, Witches Magazine, and Belladonna's Garden Literary Review. She lives in upstate NY with her three cats. Website: www.nancybyrneiannucci.com Instagram: @nancybyrneiannucci

Emma Byrne Hickman is a nature photographer who resides In the countryside of England. Her photographs aim to capture moments of wonder and awe in the natural world. Her photographs have appeared in Floating Acorn Review, and Belladonna's Garden Literary Review. Instagram: @emma_hickman_byrne

Joshua Wait

Joshua Wait studied English at UC Berkeley. He wrote his undergraduate thesis on the relationship between art and poetry in the New York School. He received a Masters in Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has served in programs for children, youth, and college students, in an organization addressing climate change, and in the tech industry as a CTO. He currently divides his time between his family and his artistic practice.

https://www.bluerivers.org