Poster Image

A street lamp glows in a starry sky beneath a crescent moon

$20

Item#: 2021SYR07

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

A Street Lamp's Gold Glow

poster information

Description

A street lamp's gold glow
warms this chilly winter night
even the moon smiles

When a cousin in Los Angeles told me her son might apply to SU, I was thrilled. Then young Josh backed out because “the winters are so cold.”

I had heard this before, whenever I told people I was from Syracuse. Yet I love our winters. Why?

The answer came to me as I strolled downtown, seeing how close buildings were to each other and taking in city life.

My haiku came to me when I realized that our bitter winters, no matter how tough on open road or field, became magical on city streets.

The haiku selection was a fairly quick process for me! This haiku was the first on the list, and I immediately knew I wanted to include one of the lamps in Franklin Square. I drive by them almost every day and I love how unique they are!

The process of illustrating usually involves taking reference photos. I honestly couldn't wait to get a closer look at them. The flower detail around the top is my favorite. I looked for any clues to find who made them, but didn't have any luck. That brought me to the Onondaga Historical Association. I had never been there before, so it was amazing to see so many old photos of Syracuse. Unfortunately, all I was able to find about lamps is that they were not always there. They were installed during the restoration in the 80's.

I would still like to satisfy my curiosity, so I'm sure another trip to the OHA is in the cards for me!