Poster Image
$20
Item#: 2015SYR01
Purchase Details
11x17-inches, printed on heavy weight (100-pound) Hammermill cover paper. We package each print with a piece of chipboard in a clear plastic sleeve.
You also receive…
An information page with photos of the artist and poet, and hand-written comments from each.
Medium- and large-format posters are available by custom order. Contact us for details.
Poem Inspiration Location
Having Survived The
poster information
Description
Having survived the
night, they wait in the cold for
breakfast to be served
The poem was inspired after an early morning workout at the Downtown YMCA on Montgomery Street. It was 7 a.m. in the dead of winter—dark, snowy and icy cold. Every morning as I left the Y, I walked by the Samaritan Center and people would be lining up, waiting for breakfast.
I know what it's like to have someone that you love on the streets. My brother was homeless for a time. I lay awake in bed every night and wondered where he was. Was he warm enough? Did he eat that day? I prayed that somebody would be kind to him.
For the homeless in Syracuse, every night is a battle to survive until the morning light brings the hope of a warm meal and a connection to others. My hope was to bring attention to a very real aspect of community with humanity and compassion.
When I was choosing my poem, I was told this one wouldn't be super upbeat, but I thought the line “breakfast would be served” was uplifting. I like doing portraits, and there's always nice texturing and line work in beards. I used patterning elements through the piece to make it more whimsical, even on the eggs! When I see homeless people in Syracuse, I always want to help them out as much as I can—I'm really glad to see that in Syracuse they're getting served a real breakfast after a long night.