Poster Image
$20
Item#: 2016SYR04
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
Dare I Hope Again
poster information
Description
Dare I hope again?
Human eyes reveal few truths,
Still, I hope once more.
This haiku was written in memory of my first dog, Star. Eleven years ago my family and I visited an animal shelter and were drawn to a litter of abandoned puppies. We were fascinated by a quiet black fur ball hiding in the corner. It was his bashful nature which allowed Star to grow into a dog who loved every misfit animal in our varied menagerie, which included everything from rabbits to peacocks. As he changed from a pup into a dog, his loyalty to his adopted family, both humans and animals, deepened. He defended the weakest animals from terrors such as foxes and coyotes, yet never complained when baby rabbits used his nose as a springboard. He knew exactly who his family was and spent every day trying to make us as safe and happy as he felt. It is for that reason that no matter how many dogs I may have in this lifetime, none will ever replace that tiny miscellaneous mutt who so effortlessly, faithfully, and completely transformed into my star.
I wanted to do something that was very personal to me, and one of the things I've been doing since 2002 is helping to get dogs and cats that are in kill shelters to places where they will find them homes. I help transport these animals in need. I will go down to Binghamton or Rochester, Watertown or Herkimer and bring them back to Syracuse, where another driver will meet me and take them to the next meeting place. To date, I've helped over 2,300 animals. In the big picture it doesn't seem like much but it is the different between life and death for those animals.
I wanted safe place in Syracuse that was recognizable as Syracuse in the background and Clinton Square was the first place I thought of. It's ironic because right after I took my reference photo they began to erect a new building and it doesn't look quite the same as my poster. That is alright. Nothing stays the same.