I grew up on the west side of Syracuse and still have strong ties to the city. I always liked Salina Street. In the 1950s everybody, including my parents, went downtown to shop. I remember walking along the street in the summer and staring at the faces of the other shoppers. Who were these people, where did they come from? As kids, we'd make funny faces at the shoppers and at each other. All these reflections in the large store windows were like watching a movie.

I started haiku as a teacher at Liverpool High School when my students were entering poems for the New Times haiku contest. The Syra-haiku were about life in Central New York and I started submitting poems along with my students. This is one of my favorite pieces and I am humbled and thrilled to be included in this project.