I am not a poet. I am a lyrical novelist in the African American oral tradition and a coffee house blues man, who uses poetic cadences and blues-based motifs in my wordplay. So this piece was a matter of familiarizing myself with the syllable count and then riffing blues haiku, playing with Syracuse weather, and its reputation as a blues city. A city with soul.

I was inspired by work of Ethridge Knight. He did blues haikus when he was in Memphis, my hometown. One in particular: "You get the blues in twos / when you be living like I be living / in Memphis, Tennessee."
Syracuse toos.

What I had in mind was to contrast the snow and ice that so embodies Syracuse with the warmth of Syracuse's soul.

I'm from the Delta, and I value a warm toasty sense of community and I've found that here in Syracuse -- found my life companion, found a couple of true friends, interesting colleagues and students better than I am. Rewarding relationships during an important phase of my life. Syracuse has shown me a lot of love. This is in contrast with the ice and snow, which I dislike intensely.