Our 2022 April Event

🌞☔🌳🐝🐞🐣🌞☔🌳🐝🐞🐣

Mama mourning dove
shivers and huddles in nest,
Spring snow squalls whip by.

by Joan Loveridge-Sanbonmatsu (2021)

It’s April! Time for Spring cleaning and April showers. Best of all, it’s also time for Syracuse Poster Project’s Annual Unveiling Event! After two pandemic-related years of virtual celebrations, we are pleased to announce that the opening event of the 2022 poster series will be held, in person, at 6:00 pm on Thursday, April 21 in the Atrium at City Hall Commons, 201 E. Washington St., Syracuse.

Magnolia blooms burst
Pink and purple pageantry.
The sweet scent of Spring.

by Joan Dear-Houseman (2021)

Please do join us as we return to an in-person celebration! It will be a wonderful opportunity to see our new posters before they’re placed in the various kiosks lining downtown Syracuse.

You’ll also meet the poets and artists of the 2022 series and it will be a good time to mingle and chat with our many friends of poetry and public art. As always, we will have music, appetizers and beverages to make the evening extra special. So, dress up, turn out and party with the Poster Project!

Hats glow like halos —
Colorful Procession climbs
Stairway to heaven.

Poet: Anna Pyrohanych
Artist: Yvonne Buchanan 
Series: 2013

How to find us: City Hall Commons is located on East Washington Street, between Warren and Montgomery streets.

It’s the Flat Iron Building just south of the State Tower Building. And, if you’re wanting to purchase any of the new posters or those from our archives, we’ll also be selling prints at this annual event. By the way, click on any poster featured on this blog and it will take you to our SHOP page!

Purple loosestrife and
yellow finches brighten the
canal bikers' path

Poet: Nan Gartner
Artist: Joyce Backus
Series: 2021

🌞☔🌳🐝🐞🐣🌞☔🌳🐝🐞🐣

So, as we welcome Spring, with grasses growing green, please join us in congratulating the Poets and Artists of our 2022 Series!

Listed here by poet and artist:

Mary Jane BeVard (Liverpool) & Jill Long (Syracuse)
Emily Buchanan (Minoa) & David Hicock (Syracuse)
Ellen McCauley (Syracuse) & Tommy Lincoln (Manlius)
Timothy Muir (Marcellus) & R. Paul Lilly (Syracuse)
David Pasinski (Syracuse) & Tyler Hill (Nedrow)
Cynthia Perrine (Fabius) & Thomas Harris (Syracuse)
Michele Reed (Oswego) & Patrick Volz (Liverpool)
Evelyn Stemashuck (Parish) & Aletta Ren (Syracuse)
Jane Verostek (Fayetteville) & Meg Stephens (Syracuse)
Amy Zamkoff (Syracuse) & Leah Hennessey (Baldwinsville)

Happy Spring!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

March Madness Haiku

🏀🏃🏀🏆🏀     🏀🏃🏀🏆🏀     🏀🏃🏀🏆🏀     🏀🏃🏀🏆🏀

Hoops hysteria
basketball stars down the court
Orange Carrier

by Jennifer Fulco (Syracuse, 2012)

Tomorrow, March 15, 2022, may be The Ides of March, but it also marks the official start of March Madness and the 2022 Men’s and Women’s  NCAA Basketball Tournaments. 

The town with the MOST
We play basketball and boast
On streets we all coast

by Nick Ghezzi (Canastota, 2011)

As you may have guessed, we’re celebrating March Madness — the kind of madness when watching non-stop hoops and the constant checking of brackets takes on a life of its own — by highlighting some fun haiku from our archives with an eye on Basketball!

Fenced in glory hoops
leap in air toward heaven
endless chatter scores

Poet: Pat Flowers
Artist: Gabriel Eng-Goetz
Series: 2008

With carefully scheduled contests in the East, West, South and Midwest, brackets help keep track of the teams that ultimately make it to the Final Four. And every year, it seems, there’s always the question: will there be a Cinderella?

Tick tock, tick tock, tick
Thirty-five second countdown
Orange brings it home.

Poet: Abigail Lent
Artist: Yoomin Cheong
Series: 2014

From the many teams selected from across the country, to the Sweet Sixteen, to the Elite Eight and down to the Final Four, March Madness is certainly an exciting tradition to welcome Spring!

Thousands march like ants
Uphill. Wearing orange, blue
Invade a white dome.

Poet: T. Michael Duncan 
Artist: Cecily Thomas
Series: 2016

However your team progresses this year, and whatever the outcome, have a “ball”!

The stakes are rising,
screams echoing through the Dome,
the shot’s up, it’s in!

by Nolen Brann (Jamesville, 2018)

🏀🏃🏀🏆🏀     🏀🏃🏀🏆🏀     🏀🏃🏀🏆🏀     🏀🏃🏀🏆🏀

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Winter Haiku

---

As you might expect, Winter’s yearly grip upon us is the topic of many haiku from our talented contributors and artists. 

Crystal blue twilight 
Oak tree stands frozen, under 
Winter's icy spell 

by Karl Krohl (Syracuse 2016)

If you’ve lived in Central New York for a while, you know that Winters here can be pretty brutal at times. 

Ice, salt, sleet and snow,
white elements underfoot
my cold, slush-soaked toes

by Paul Moran (Syracuse 2007)

The same pub warmth that
Melted the slush I stepped in
Will help me forget!

Poet: Martin Walls
Artist: William Schmidt
Series: 2002

In spite of the frequency of grey days and frigid temperatures, we do enjoy the occasional bright blue day with warm hints of sunshine. 

Blue skies in winter, 
the sun makes us feel hopeful --
Bundle up outside 

by Diana Graser (Liverpool 2018)

Snowflakes hitch a ride
Like an uninvited guest
Leave my scarf dripping

Poet: Tanya Raymond
Artist: Lara Hirschberg
Series: 2017

But when blustery snow storms barge in and leave a foot of snow and knee-high drifts, it’s time to snuggle into a good book and under a warm blanket. 

Snow deeper tonight--
streetlights smudge the tall darkness.
Sometimes we like cold.

by William Neumire (Liverpool 2009)

crystal quilts of ice
fluffy blankets of snow with
dreams that warm the soul

Poet: Arthur Flowers
Artist: Erin Schechtman
Series: 2008

To find more Wintry-themed haiku on our Blog, click HERE. If you’d like to purchase one of the illustrated posters featured on this post–or any of our beautiful haiku posters–click HERE.

And as always, stay warm and stay safe!

cold weather, warm food
short days and long nights, time flies
snowflakes fall and sleep

by Anton Ninno (Syracuse 2008)

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

★🎄🌕 Haiku For December 🌕🎄★

December. An extraordinary month of cherished traditions, we find many ways to observe the Season of Light that December holds in its frosty days.

The towering tree
Stands still and silent, waiting
To light up downtown

by Christina Lee (Syracuse 2010)

As December days grow shorter and shorter, with their long, cold nights, we celebrate the Solstice on the 21st when days typically become a bit longer–and warmer–again.

First Winter snowfall
Silent, swirling, descending…painting
Blue Spruce white.

by Robert Stone (Baldwinsville 2013)

Not only is December the last month of the year, it is also one of the busiest months of the year. Among other things, December embodies Winter holidays and long school breaks, cookie exchanges and gift shopping, family feasts and get-togethers with close friends. 

Bright lights, days of old
‘tis the season windows glow
downtown walking, looking, joy

by Michael Brigandi (Syracuse 2013)

With its short crisp meter, haiku can uniquely express many of our December reflections. For Nan Gartner, “….I wrote this haiku about a scene which I haven’t necessarily been in but I have imagined, which pleases my romantic instincts. I know that wintertime strolling can be romantic, and I think people are fortunate to have that experience. I don’t think there’s anything prettier than large white snowflakes falling quietly, especially in the evening by moonlight, what could be more beautiful?“

Poet: Nan Gartner 
Artist: Amy Cunningham-Waltz 
Series: 2021



December snowflakes
Fall by moonlight on late night
strollers in the square

If you like this beautifully illustrated haiku poster, consider purchasing it as a gift to yourself from our Shopper’s Guide here. And, for more wintry haiku to brighten up these last few days of December, click here to read past Blog posts.

Tree lights and skate blades
Illuminate Clinton Square.
Silent stars wink by.

by Ellen McNeal (Summerville 2002)

And so, from all of us at Syracuse Poster Project, Happy Holidays!

Stay safe and Stay Warm!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku Reflections For Memorial Day

☆☆

Eagles nestled in
High above the peaceful shore
Watching, protecting

By Michael Brigandi (Syracuse 2014) 

A well-written Haiku can say a lot in only a few words and syllables. It can tell a story and even express deep emotions. It can also be political and make us pause to reflect upon the world around us. Like other forms of poetry, haiku can speak to war and peace, heroes and fallen soldiers, victory and defeat, freedom and sacrifice. 

Heroes defended 
Liberty and freedom rang 
Stars and stripes rippled 

              by Michelle Miles (Ft. Wayne 2016)

☆☆

From our 2003 Poster Series, our featured haiku poster thoughtfully reflects the haunting memories of war. The wonderful and unambiguous haiku was written by poet, Bryan Wilbur. The poster was beautifully illustrated by former Syracuse University illustration student, Robert Franceschini, who writes, “…. I felt that the haiku was explaining a man paying his respect to the soldier who fought in the war. I also portrayed one of the “fallen soldiers” returning the respect with a salute in the cast shadow of the figure.”

Emptiness echoes 
around monuments. A man 
remembers shadows.

☆☆

Memorial Day was originally set aside as a day to honor and remember those Americans who have died while serving and defending our country in all its wars. While it remains a day of solemn observance, it has also become the symbolic start of Summer. Now that many COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, and as more folks are vaccinated, some traditional Memorial Day celebrations and remembrances will be easier to participate in this year. So, wherever you find yourself this Memorial Day–whether it’s laying a wreath or raising a flag, marching along with a parade or gathering with family for a barbecue–remember those who have fallen and keep peace in your heart. 

Be safe and be well! 

Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

More Haiku For Mother’s Day

💗💗🌷🌸🌱🌺💗💗🌳🌹🌵🍒🌱🌷💗💗

Between cement cracks
Fragrant wildflowers blossom
kissed by golden rays

by Deb Bateman (East Syracuse 2001)

Ready or not, Mother’s Day will be here soon. A pleasant reminder, if you will, that Spring has sprung at last...well, at least, that’s what the calendar says!

It’s here, falling fast!
Snowflakes land wet and heavy.
Tulips sadly droop.

by Rosalyn M. Carroll (Manlius 2021)

Despite the snow and chilly rain of late, (we need the rain, or so ‘they’ say), the wild abundance of Daffodils and Tulips this year should make a perfect Mother’s Day bouquet! Their warm and familiar colors seem to rival all those joyfully bursting yellow Forsythia found growing everywhere this year! 

drops of rain water 
dangle under a tree branch,
temporary pearls

by Sara Parrott (Nedrow 2017)

Nothing, though, seems to rival all the wind storms that this Spring has sprung…

so much wind today
kids blow kisses through their wands
bubbles chase me home

by Wendy E. Kaplan (Villas, N.J. 2020)

💗💗🌷🌸🌱🌺💗💗🌳🌹🌵🍒🌱🌷💗💗

To celebrate Mother’s Day, our featured haiku poster is from our 2004 Series. Artist, Meaghan Arbital, has created a colorful complement to the wonderful haiku written by Poet, Molly English.

Onondaga Lake
Shoreline; a nesting hotbed.
Make way for goslings

Looking at this cheerful poster, it’s easy to see, even in nature, Mother’s Day seems to be synonymous with Spring blooms, birth, growth and nurturing. 

Buds and baby birds
grow together on branches
fly away in fall

by Megan Reed (Liverpool 2009)

Despite ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, we hope your Mother’s Day is a pleasant and Spring-infused one! 

💗💗🌷🌸🌱🌺💗💗🌳🌹🌵🍒🌱🌷💗💗

And, last, but not least, in case you missed it, the 2021 Virtual Series Event and 20th Anniversary Celebration was a huge success and a lot of fun! Such good work this year by poets and artists! Thanks again, also, to our sponsors and donors, our interns, volunteers and board members. Please enjoy the roughly half-hour presentation of the 2021 Virtual Series Event and Anniversary Celebration by clicking this link: https://youtu.be/R8N-DmL9CxY. By the way, if you see a new haiku poster you just have to have framed and hung in your family room, click here to shop!

Thank you!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku For March, 2021

🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

It’s hard to believe that roughly one year ago, the Coronavirus blew into March like a lion. Still roaring strong, the pandemic has changed all our lives quite dramatically. Adapting to these changes and the resulting “new normal” hasn’t been easy. Thankfully, the constancy of March and its promise of Spring hasn’t changed! 

Thus far this March, Central New York has seen a few sunny days mixed with bitter cold and snowy days. Notwithstanding those few wild and windy grey days, there is absolute joy when spotting Crocus blooming or Tulip shoots pushing their way up through worn patches of snow!

Poster: From our 2018 Series
Poet: Laura Feldman
Artist: Anna Schwartz

Pale winter lifts her
hooded veil and buds appear
in a burst of spring

Despite crowd restrictions and masked coaches, college hoop fans are checking their brackets and watching games from home as March Madness gets underway this week. Out of 68 teams, will a “Cinderella” team emerge this year? Which two teams will progress to the Championship Game on April 5th? Fingers crossed!!

Poster: From our 2016 Series
Poet: T. Michael Duncan
Artist: Cecily Thomas

Thousands march like ants
Uphill. Wearing orange, blue
Invade a white dome.

For the safety of marchers and revelers alike, Syracuse was among many cities that did not schedule a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Disappointing as this is, be sure to celebrate the day by donning some green and cooking up your own Corned Beef and Cabbage. And though nothing beats a well-poured draft of stout at your local pub, be sure to raise a pint at home to St. Patrick and the many contributions of the Irish.

Poster: From our 2017 Series
Poet: Abigail Lent
Artist: Mack Muller

At a corner stool
Beige froth nearly overflows
Silky Guinness poured

March will always be the month when the sounds of Spring fill the air. Whether it’s the chirping song of returning Robins or the sharp splat of rain against the windowpane or the howling wind of a sudden snow squall or even listening to Celtic music on St. Patrick’s Day, March is still the perfect prelude to Spring!

Poster: From our 2015 Series
Poet: Ellen McNeal
Artist: Dianna Wendell

Lone violinist
strains against a wintry blast.
Snowy walk. Encore.

For more haiku celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, click here. Check out our March Madness posts here. And, for more Spring haiku, click here! As always, if you love any of our posters, click here to Shop!

Happy Spring!

Stay well and be safe!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku For a Mask

ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ

summoned by sunlight
masked pedestrian shadows
avoid each other

by Joe Sarnicola (Auburn 2020)

ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ

Since last March, when the Coronavirus pandemic first put us all in lockdown, wearing a face mask to protect each other has become de rigueur. 

Halloween each day,
masked eyes measuring six feet,
a faceless future.

by Ann Scholl (Skaneateles 2020)

While it has not been an entirely easy adjustment for everyone, masks have become part of our new normal.

Masked folk walk, bike, run
the Erie Canal towpath
during pandemic.

by David Hitchcock (Fayetteville 2020)

In fact, at work or play, masks have become essential…as has a new level of patience when wearing one—or when trying to understand your dentist who’s wearing 3 or 4 layers of masked protection as he tools about your mouth!

Off to work -- pause, breathe.
Mask, gown, gloves. Patients. Patience.
I smile with my eyes.

by Jaclyn Sisskind (Manlius 2020)

At the start, finding the right mask to wear was a difficult prospect as there were few to be found. Now, from “how to sew your own” to the expensively styled and marketed, face masks have also become the new look du jour. 

Masking to combat
One-hundred years pandemic
assorted facewears

by Audia Denton (Ithaca 2020)

From our 2013 Series, our featured haiku poster adds a bit of lighthearted comfort to our current mask situation. Highlighting the colorful imagery of the poet’s words, the poster was beautifully illustrated by former Syracuse University student, Carolyn Glavin. The haiku was written by Janice Scully, author of Salt City Verse.

Cardinal, feathered ~ masked bandit on a snowy ~ limb — all can see you!

Despite the politicalization of wearing a mask during this pandemic, the experience, like many others created by Covid-19, has captured the imagination of poets and artists everywhere. For us, haiku reflects this experience quite neatly.

Dread phantom of the
coronavirus awaits
final unmasking

by James and Barbara Yonai (Syracuse 2020)

What has been your experience this past year with wearing a mask? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you! And, be safe out there!

ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ

Face masks, and first bumps’
socially six feet apart.
Be Corona safe.

by Patricia Teska (Syracuse 2020)

ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ  *****  ᐇᐇᐇᐇᐇ

posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku For a Grey and Cloudy January

↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙↖↗↘↙

It’s only the start of the New Year, but the promised light of December’s Winter Solstice seems to have temporarily disappeared behind unmovable grey clouds.  Along with cold temperatures, lingering patches of dirty snow offer little consolation to already Covid-bleak days.  

Blue sky illusions 
scrape Winter's gray haze—slogging
numb down Salina

by Jay Cox (Pompey 2007)

But for the brief moments of early morning or late afternoon sun, cloudy skies remain the dominant trademark of Winter in Central New York.  While a backdrop of grey and cold is not wholly unexpected this time of year, we certainly could use some clear, blue skies — and even some snow!

City lights sparkle
morning glow--snow falls--silence
smoke stacks touch the clouds 

by Cynthia Perrine (Fabius 2011)

When endless grey cloudy days turn into endless grey cloudy nights, missing a clear night sky full of stars or the wondrous phases of the moon can be downright sad! It was certainly a disappointment missing the rare alignment of Saturn and Jupiter in December, wasn’t it? 

Meteor showers
Aurora borealis
Hidden behind clouds. 

by Norman Cohen (Jamesville 2011)

As you might expect, writing haiku can bring a whole new perspective to these two words, grey and cloudy.  And, it’s a perfect antidote for cabin-fever made harder again this year with the pandemic lockdown!  

Mostly cloudy with 
a chance of grey and cold - I've
got those Winter blues!

by Rosalyn M. Carroll (Manlius 2017)

Speaking of Winter blues, our featured haiku poster from our 2018 Series is sure to warm you up! Alluding to Syracuse’s well-tuned reputation as a music town, poet Dennis Kinsey suggests, “….Winter, that’s when you feel like you need some music!” For artist Jacob Rivera Navarro, former Syracuse University Illustration Student, “….Music always felt like an escape from the [Syracuse] tundra to me. This is why I related so much to this haiku.” 

Cold in Syracuse , I need the Blues to warm me. Summer is for Jazz.

Along with music, adding an artist’s eye to your haiku can easily turn grey skies from dull to stunning!  

Fronts collide to paint 
Phenomenal cloud skyscapes
Swirling overhead

by Pamela Lynch (Oneida 2013) 

As these few haiku from our archives show, writing Haiku provides a way of expressing deep emotions while seeing the world around us from a variety of perspectives.  So, when the grey and cloudy skies of Winter make you blue, write a Haiku!

Stay warm!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku for a Thanksgiving in the Time of COVID-19

🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺

It may be hard to believe, but COVID-19 is still playing havoc with us even as we approach the end of November!

Covid creeps quiet
through silent Syracuse streets
yet hope happens here

by Bob Lewis (Liverpool 2020)

🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺

Adapting to the rapidly changing dynamic of this pandemic, traditional Thanksgiving festivities and family get-togethers will be dramatically different this year.

Expressions of love
concealed in faint colored masks
breathe silent kisses

by Donna Ancillotti (Liverpool 2020)

🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺

Scaled back feasts are the order of the day as is the increased loneliness of continued isolation of family members and friends during this special holiday.

Separated by
Glass, our hands touch….we laugh, your
eyes Sparkle…miss hugs

by Yvonne Kovits (Little Falls 2020)

🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺

And, while Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Messenger and Google Duo allow us brief moments of virtual togetherness, the fact that we are still able to share these brief moments is a wonderful thing!

We must together
find and gather to tether
ties to each other

by Mark Shevalier (Henderson 2008)

🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺

As the pandemic has forced us into a new normal, one thing that remains relatively the same for many of us is our relationship with nature. In some instances, we have been given an opportunity to renew that relationship by breathing it in anew. From our 2020 Series, our featured haiku poster beautifully illustrates one such experience. As poet, Ana Morley, writes, “[Green Lakes]….has been the backdrop for some of my favorite memories with the people I love most.” To see more of artist, Lucie Wellner’s, wonderful work, click here.

Walk the Green Lake path…
Lush and open, Earth to sky.
Whispers: “You and I”

🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺

If there is anything positive that the pandemic has wrought, it is the Thanksgiving prayer of gratitude for even the smallest things in our changed lives.

Homeless eyes widen
as Rescue Mission worker
plunks hot turkey down.

by Lee Savidge (Liverpool 2017)

🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺🔻🔺

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments! And, if you’re looking for more Thanksgiving haiku, check out the Categories List on this page.

Have a good Thanksgiving and breathe deep all the moments of the day! Stay safe and Take Care!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku For Falling Leaves

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

Autumn. Another wonderful season of sensory experiences….and inspired haiku!  We’ve written about Autumn on these pages before, but there is always one more haiku from our archives which we think will enhance the colors and sounds of this amazing October!  

So, from our archives…

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Autumn can be a smorgasbord for the senses!  It can be visually mesmerizing as leaves turn from Summer green to warm shades of red, yellow, orange and gold. 

Autumn rolls out quilts
along Route 20…wrapping
the fields in color.

by Sally Lloyd (Cazenovia 2010)

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

As daylight grows shorter and nights longer, Autumn weather turns accordingly—and unpredictably, too.  Warm and sunny days play tag with grey and chilly days.  By the end of October, Autumn is warm sweaters tugged tight and blankets pulled up close.

Sweaters warm the skin
The leaves burst into red flame
The snow approaches

by Caitlin Moriarty (Manlius 2016)

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Autumn’s sound is underfoot with the crunch of dried leaves. It’s the sound of rain and wet leaves hitting darkened window panes. It’s the wind, tossing tree branches wildly about, their colorful leaves breaking free, blanketing the earth.

Autumn leaves fly past
my window, dancing in the
wind. Bare trees shiver.

by Rosalyn M. Carroll (Manlius 2020)

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

Autumn is the deliciousness of red apples…

Sun-ripened skins gleam
boughs of crimson temptation
Autumn’s crisp reward

by Laura Ferrel (Camillus 2016)

…or the taste of harvested grapes that have been kissed by a warm sun.

Riesling, Cab delight
Drink in delicious views, sip
vineyard’s offerings

by Arlene Quizon (Renton 2014)

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

It’s the smell of the earth as it begins its descent into Winter’s solitude.

At Clark Reservoir,
Autumn colors everywhere.
Fossils etched in stone.

by Joan Cofrancesco (Camillus 2007)

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

We have a number of wonderful haiku posters illustrating the beauty of Autumn.  Our featured poster today is from our 2019 Series.  We think you’ll agree, the colorful illustration by Erin Nowak (learn about her other work here) clearly captures the words of the vivid haiku skillfully written by Mary Jane BeVard. 

Wind disrupts raked leaves / Once peaceful piles now swirling / whirling dervishly

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Even with a pandemic hovering in the background, Autumn elicits tailgating parties at the home game, memories of childhood capers running through raked-high leaves and the smell of cinnamon wafting from a freshly baked apple pie.  It’s also a quiet time as life moves indoors for awhile.

Leaf-strewn yards glow bronze.
Sisters five, they stand reborn.
Love comes moving in.

by Patricia Ziemba (Syracuse 2010)

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

What do you love about Autumn and the falling leaves? Leave us your thoughts in a haiku in the Comment Section!

And, get raking!  

Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Haiku For Social Distancing

************************************************************************

With the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns this past March, our lives have taken on a new normal. In some respects, by slowing down a bit these last several months, some things seem new again this Summer.

Listen: among gray
towering buildings, summer
crickets serenade.

by Mary Taitt (Grosse Pointe Farms 2001)

Along with directives on wearing masks and proper hand washing, we’ve added new terms to our vocabulary, such as self-quarantine and social distancing.

As summer sun sets,
ethereal realms emerge.
Firefly festival

by Michael McCollumn (Manlius 2013)

Despite signage with clever slogans everywhere you turn, staying 6 feet apart from each other has certainly been challenging—particularly when it’s been such a lovely Summer!

two blue dragonflies
settle into canal reeds –
uninhibited

by Karl Krohl (Syracuse 2013)

During this crisis, as we try to do our best to protect each other by following the rules of engagement, as it were, don’t look to the birds at your bird feeder for any guidance on how to do this…

Sunflower faces
A swoosh of yellow and black:
Goldfinch dinnertime

by Ellen Barnes Syracuse 2014

…or those sassy turtles who’ve emerged from murky depths for some sunshine…

Black armored turtles
Lie six to a limb, sunning
Erie beach party

by Rosalyn M. Carroll (Manlius 2016)

….and certainly, don’t ask any of the other wild creatures buzzing about on a warm, Summer’s night!

Summer night concert
black crickets on violins
bullfrogs on bassoons

by Martin Willitts Jr. Syracuse 2014

Of course, Mother Nature’s resistance to social distancing is easy to understand — it’s clearly not in her vocabulary! This is beautifully depicted in a poster from our 2020 Series. The delightful haiku was written by Sheila Forsyth and the wonderful poster was created by Amy Cunningham-Waltz. Find more of Amy’s stunning artwork here.

Lingering summer / Light fades—fireflies check in for / the evening shift

Pandemic or no, this Summer will end way too quickly. So, whether you’re working remotely or taking a well-deserved staycation at home, drink up the wonderful sights and sounds of August before they’re gone! And….”be smart, stay 6-feet apart”….

Days fly by—like wind,
like rain, like snowflakes—jewels
that melt on your tongue

by Craig Overbeck (Fayetteville 2019)

Stay Well!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku For Spring of 2020

****************************************************

Spring arrived early
splashing against my window
dreams interrupted

by Lynn McDonald (Ogden 2004)

Spring officially arrived this past week. So did COVID-19. And with it, a new normal has taken over everywhere with schools and businesses closing, social distancing, working remotely while sequestered to our homes in self-quarantine. A troubling disruption, with its own uncertainties, to say the least.

Spring snow–heavy, wet
downing tree limbs, power lines,
darkening our hearts

by Robert Stone (Baldwinsville 2015)

At this point, it might be hard to imagine how reading or writing haiku might make a difference to what’s going on. Reading poetry, prose, or even a good book, offers an escape from our daily worries as well as a chance to see new perspectives outside ourselves. Besides making us feel better, writing–whether you’re writing poetry, prose or journaling–can give us a sense of control and purpose and can help us make sense of difficult times. Writing also offers us an opportunity to reflect on all the things we love. It’s a place where we can freely express our thoughts and feelings, observations and experiences.

Red brick, gray concrete
plant pushes up through the gap
life blooms overnight

by Peter Allen (Syracuse 2016)

Our featured haiku poster is from our 2018 Series. A wonderful reflection of Spring, Sean Conrey (Syracuse 2015) crafted his noteworthy haiku while observing: “We’re always waiting for that moment for spring to begin; a leaf coming out, one little bud, it’s going to happen at some point.” Beautifully illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Jake Penman, who chose this haiku “…. because I feel like it speaks to the kind of person I am, or at least the kind of tonality that I like to illustrate in my work. I really enjoy drawing trees, life, and images of nature. A lot of the work I do is in pen and ink, and a lot of natural structures—branches, roots, and trunks—do very well in pen and ink. I feel like the complexity of the roots is visually similar to cardiac vessels or streams running through hills. It’s just the way the line moves between, like if you’re following a river downstream, or if you’re following a tree branch from a trunk’s base—it’s very similar. Whatever is causing that similarity is what I try to get at, not just visually, but emotionally.”

A spring breeze still cold / All nerves beneath the black oak / A new leaf unfurls

We hope these few reflections on the arrival of Spring have cheered you and given you some food for thought. Unlike the unsettling throes of a pandemic, Spring is certainly one constant we can depend on year in and year out. The interesting thing is, what kind of Spring will it be?

March into April,
Shed the outer cloak, breathe and
Take the umbrella….

by Michelle M. Miles (Israel 2016)

Wishing you well — stay safe!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

*************************************************************************************

A Haiku For Black History Month 2020

➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻

Before we leave February behind in the snow, we wanted to add one of our illustrated haiku posters to this year’s celebration of Black History Month.  As we’ve posted on these pages before, what began as the brainchild of Carter G. Woodson in 1926 to celebrate “Negro History Week”, Black History Month was expanded in 1976 to include the entire month of February. And, for each year’s month long celebration, ASALH, or the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, focuses on a central theme based on the Black experience, race relations and the many accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans throughout our history.  

➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻

<p class="has-drop-cap" value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80"><span class="uppercase">F</span>or this year’s theme, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://asalh.org/asalh-announces-2020-black-history-theme-african-americans-and-the-vote/&quot; target="_blank"><strong><em>African Americans and the Vote</em></strong></a>, ASALH <em>“. . . . marks the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment and the culmination of the women’s suffrage movement.  The year 2020 also marks the sesquicentennial of the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) and the right of black men to the ballot after the Civil War."</em> What a fitting theme indeed for this Election Year!For this year’s theme, African Americans and the Vote, ASALH “. . . . marks the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment and the culmination of the women’s suffrage movement.  The year 2020 also marks the sesquicentennial of the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) and the right of black men to the ballot after the Civil War.” What a fitting theme indeed for this Election Year!

➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻

Our featured haiku poster from our 2008 Series beautifully depicts one aspect of a struggle many people fight for.  While Poet, Kali Huff’s words provide the hopeful message, James Ransome’s strikingly poignant illustration beautifully embodies her words. As Mr. Ransome states, “. . . . I wanted to illustrate something emotional. So I thought it would be best if I found a poem that symbolized African Americans’ struggles, or women’s struggles, or some group’s struggles. That’s what got my attention, this idea of struggling and succeeding against the odds.“

Like the red lotus / I bloom from mud. A symbol / for struggle; new life

➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻

To read other haiku from our archives highlighting Black History Month, Click Here! If you’re interested in purchasing this poster, its matching Note Card Collection, or any of our other Syracuse Poster Project haiku posters, Click here!

Thank you!

➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻➻

Haiku for Valentine’s Day

Ambling with “the one”
my neighborhood is lovely
steal a quick kiss–now!

by David Pasinski (Fayetteville 2010)

Valentine’s Day! A day for stolen kisses, red roses and candy hearts, candle-lit dinners, whimsical cards and love poems. From our trove of wonderful haiku, we thought we’d come back to these very special Valentine Day haiku from our talented contributors:

From Meg Catanzarita, (Syracuse 2010), a whimsical haiku whose word-play has Valentine’s Day written all over it:

Alphabet clusters
beget confabulation
P.S., I Love You

Oubon Phommanyrath’s (Syracuse 2013) poem beautifully elicits love and transcends the ordinary:

I chase the song of
life. My heart knows the hidden
path where love finds me.

Marilyn Shelton’s (Dunmore 2003) haiku sweetly catches a merry and colorful moment between two sweethearts:

Young opera moon,
you caught us stealing kisses
Under red awnings!

Speaking of sweethearts, our featured haiku poster is from our 2009 Series. Brightly illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Emily Meluch, now an illustrator and designer living in Cleveland, Ohio, the haiku was written by frequent contributor, Janine DeBaise. Inspired by the many small coffeehouses and restaurants found here in Syracuse, Janine writes, ”I like the sounds in those places — the clinking of the plates and mugs, the swirl of chatter as friends gather over steaming cups of tea or coffee. I was thinking about the way people have to lean close in that setting, to hear each other’s voices. I like the intimacy of that gesture, being close in a room crowded with people.”

Amidst the chatter / and clink of white coffee mugs / I drink your voice in

Check out our other “love” themed haiku posters by clicking here.  If you haven’t picked up a Valentine’s Day card yet, create something original for your sweetheart by using one of our free, downloadable Valentine’s Day cards like this one from one of our graphic designers, Jiaqi Liu, a native of China, who exercised her dual language skills to come up with this cute Valentine’s Day card featuring a punning owl. “Punny”, isn’t it? 

• 

Click here to download this colorful card!  Click here to see some of our other do-it-yourself Valentine’s Day cards! You add the words, we’ll do the rest!

Wherever love finds you on this Valentine’s Day, enjoy and live, laugh, love!

Trees roots growth love home
Sisters shouting in the yard
Laughing joyously

by Sylvia O’Connor (Manlius 2014)

Holiday Haiku

The Holidays! Oh, the excited anticipation of it all! There’s the planning and the decorating, the ever-changing shopping lists…two miles long. Then, there’s the food and the get-togethers, the writing out of Holiday Greeting cards and the wrapping of gifts. And, don’t forget the lighting of candles and the Yuletide tree or the sounds of music in the air — at the school concert and in stained-glassed churches everywhere!

Phew! So, between the stress and the laughter, the rain and the snow, we’d like to offer you these few haiku from our archives to brighten your celebration of this season of light and love, hope and peace!

….the Holidays are Cookie Exchanges and Gingerbread Houses:

Gingerbread delights
The Erie Canal is trimmed
With giggles and smiles!

by Jane Verostek (Syracuse 2012)

….it’s the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree:

Horse-drawn sleigh ride to
Cut a Christmas tree just right–
We build traditions!

by Rosalyn M. Carroll (Manlius 2006)

….and, the hunt for the perfect gift:

Mom clutches my hand
We rush through winding traffic
Holiday shopping

by Mary Demetrick (East Syracuse 2004)

….the Holidays are Mistletoe and Holly and beautiful Poinsettias:

Crimson-tipped arrows
Pointing North, East, South and West
Christmas arsenal

by Michelle Miles (Jerusalem 2016)

….they’re a night time drive through darkened snowy streets for a visual treat; where Christmas and candle lights brighten neighborhood windows and lampposts, doorways and rooftops:

Levitating lights
Vivid vista sparkling home
Where the heart is full

by Ronnie Bell (Syracuse 2010)

For many, the Holidays are not complete without going downtown for the ceremonious “lighting of the tree”:

Huge pine in the Square
Anticipates the signal,
Then lights up Winter

by Marilyn Shelton (Dunmore 2008)

Our featured Poster Illustrates just such a scene. The haiku poster is from our 2009 Series. The cheerful haiku was written by Nancy Liccione (Clay 2003) and brightly illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration Student, Yealim Kong, now a Home Textile & Graphic designer based in New York City.

Nighttime in the Square / Tree lighting and carols sung / Skaters mingle there

However you spend these last few days of 2019, Happy Holidays!

Ripped fingertip gloves
Cold keys and warm melodies
Fill dark streets with light

by Elizabeth Westfall (North Syracuse 2014)

Haiku for a Rainy Spring

To the chagrin of many, rain has predominated the weather this Spring. In fact, it’s hard to believe it’s mid-June already, what with Summer officially beginning in a few days! One has to ask, where, oh where, is the sun?

To cheer you up, we’ve dug out some haiku dedicated to Rain…yes, Rain…

From Jeanne Viggiano (Syracuse, 2009) comes a haiku which perfectly describes a rainy workday and the promise of a dry, sunny evening!

Rain pelts the sidewalks.
Lunch hour is a duck and dash.
Forecast: sun by five.

You’ve heard that phrase, “We need the rain”? Well, one benefit of all the rain this Spring has been the lush greens and gorgeous colors of its slow-blooming flowers. Renee-Noelle Felice (Syracuse 2011) says it well in her haiku:

After weeks of rain,
hollyhocks–deep pink and red–
big as salad plates

Have you ever just sat and listened to the rain falling? Frequent haiku contributor, Anne Mackenzie (Skaneateles, 2014), hears something beautiful:

woodland canopy
raindrops tap-dancing on leaves
ageless lullaby

Listening to the rain takes another shape in this delightful haiku by poet, Nicholas Petrone (Syracuse, 2010):

wooden boards beneath
Ruskin front porch rocker creak
steady rain keeps time

Our featured haiku poster is from our 2004 Series. The bright haiku was written by long-time contributor, Marilyn Shelton; the illustration colorfully created by former Syracuse University
student, Marlene Heuer.

silver drops of rain / suddenly, a bright garden / of umbrellas blooms

Of course, when all else fails, there’s nothing like getting your Gene Kelly on, like Rosalyn M. Carroll (Manlius, 2016) does in her haiku:

With a steady beat,
rain strikes my umbrella—I’m
dancin’ in the rain

Stay dry! And, as the old song goes, “let a smile be your umbrella”!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

**Haiku For A Memorial Day**

************************************************************************

Souls of the soldiers 
march and quiet names surround 
Freedom’s arena 

by Mark Shevalier (Henderson 2007)

A well-written Haiku can say a lot in only a few words and 17 syllables–it can tell a story and even express deep emotions; it can also be political and make us pause to reflect upon the world around us. Like other forms of poetry, haiku can speak to war and peace, heroes and fallen soldiers, victory and defeat, freedom and sacrifice.

Heroes defended 
Liberty and freedom rang 
Stars and stripes rippled 

by Michelle Miles (Denver  2016)

Originally referred to in the late 1860’s as Decoration Day–a day of remembrance when mourners could grace the graves of the Civil War’s dead with flowers–Memorial Day became a national holiday in 1971.  It remains a day of solemn observance; a day reserved to honor and remember all Americans who have died while serving in our country’s military service.  

Run run Jerry run 
freedom is at hand oh Lord 
helpful hands stretch out

by Pat Flowers (Columbus 2006)

Memorial Day is also a day to celebrate our many freedoms, the unique cause that these American servicemen and servicewomen died for.

Our featured haiku poster this Memorial Day is from our 2004 Series.  It was written by frequent contributor, Jay Cox and illustrated by former Syracuse University student, Steve Kim.  We think you’ll agree, the poster exemplifies the beauty of our monuments to remembrance, peace and freedom.

The blue sky ripples / and clouds stream by in the water / fountain reflections

As we remember those who fought for our freedom, we hope you’ve enjoyed these few haiku from our archives that best express our observation of Memorial Day!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku For A Winter’s Day

Ice and snow and howling winds — oh, my! Just when the sun peeks out for a day or two, Winter strikes back for one more round of cold, grey days. We’ve written here before of Winter’s many faces and while daylight is lasting longer–thank goodness–this singular season is anything but over! So, before we bid adieu to February blizzards, black ice, wind chill, freak rain storms, thick fog and ice tsunamis, here is one more wintry blog to enjoy.

From our archives of submitted haiku:

With Jean Fahey’s (Syracuse 2017) haiku, the brilliant warmth of a Winter sun on a crisp and clear morning after days of snow is wonderful—-take out your sunglasses!

the dazzling sunlight
after snowstorm is over
makes diamonds of snow

If you have little kids, you’ll know that by wearing one’s pj’s inside out all snowy night long, there’s a good chance of a sensational snow-day tomorrow…you can almost hear the groans of disappointment in Erin McConnell’s (LaFayette 2010) haiku:

Up early for school.
Snowplow rumbles on the road.
No snow-day today.

A cold, wintry scene is set in Marsha Egan’s (Cicero 2009) dramatic haiku:

Snow blankets the earth:
the brittle silence is broken
by passing footsteps.

Winter storms aren’t complete without a little wind howling through bare trees and underneath the roof eaves! Rosalyn Carroll (Manlius 2019) wrote this haiku during one such storm:

Wild winter winds crashed
through the trees knocked on my door
Delivered fresh snow

Our featured haiku poster—-from our 2012 Series—-says it all on a cold, snowy day in late February! The poem was written by our frequent haiku contributor, Michele Reed, and illustrated by former Syracuse University illustration student, Anna Rettberg, now a busy and successful illustrator living in Seattle. See more of her wonderful work here.

Hear the snow crunch / underfoot as I’m walking / I dream of the beach

We’ll leave you with this artistic point of view from Mary Taitt (Grosse Pointe Farms, 2011):

Snowflakes in simple
brushstrokes sweep over drifts, pile
in long arching curves.

Stay Warm — only 21 more days ‘til Spring!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku For A Valentine

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Valentine’s Day–a sweetheart of a day, dedicated to the celebration of love! Symbolized by red hearts and roses, chocolate kisses and candle-lit dinners, whimsical cards and love poems, it’s one of our favorite days of the year!

Haiku being our forte, we’re often searching our archives for poems and haiku posters that perfectly fit an occasion or holiday. For this St. Valentine’s Day post, we come back to these wonderful haiku from our talented contributors.

Oubon Phommanyrath’s (Syracuse 2013) poem beautifully elicits love and transcends the ordinary:

I chase the song of
life. My heart knows the hidden
path where love finds me.

From Meg Catanzarita, (Syracuse 2010), a whimsical haiku whose word-play has Valentine’s Day all over it:

Alphabet clusters
beget confabulation
PS I Love You

Frequent haiku contributor, Marilyn Shelton (Dunmore 2003) sweetly notes a merry and colorful moment between two sweethearts:

Young opera moon,
you caught us stealing kisses
Under red awnings!

And, Sandra Hewett’s haiku (Syracuse 2014) sets the scene for a memorable Valentine’s Day dinner:

Candles glow brightly
On the table as we eat
Faces full of love

Speaking of love and romance, it might be frightfully cold outside, but our featured 2007 Syracuse Poster Project haiku poster is sure to warm you up on this St. Valentine’s Day. The poet is long-time Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Robert Gaurnier; the poster was illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Bret Supranowicz, now working as a designer and illustrator in New York City.

Beneath many stars / diners feast on sweet music / in Armory Square

If you’re stuck for an idea for something special to give your sweetheart, feel free to download one of our specially commissioned St. Valentine’s Day cards here. As we have done in years past, each of our Valentine’s Day cards are created with a wonderful background and enough space to give you an opportunity to write your own love poem. Our 2019 card can be downloaded here. It was artfully designed by Jiaqi Liu, our Spring semester graphic design intern.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku To Warm Up January

************************************************************************

Snow and slush and sleet
and rain and hail–and sun!–and
clouds and ice and salt.

As dryly described in Matt Tompkins’ (Owego 2013) haiku above, this January has been cold and snowy–and everything else inbetween!

Haiku has the perfect ability to express these Winter days in such a way that you can nearly forget it’s January…well, almost! It’s too early for Spring Fever, so try warming up with these few haiku found in our archives and written by our wonderful contributors.

When it’s not too cold or blustery, January offers a great time to be outdoors. In his colorful haiku, poet Lee Savidge (Liverpool 2013) sets the mood for a day of skiing. Can you feel the anticipation?…the thrill of a good day on the slopes?…not noticing the cold on your face?

Perfect packed powder,
Exhilarating ski trails–
Lean forward and smile

In just a few words, Kate Stewart’s (Cazenovia 2012) vivid haiku describes a unique experience known only on a clear Winter’s night:

Snow diamonds twinkle.
Crisp night air, I hear only
Softly, gliding skis

If you have ever snowshoed, you know you’ve made an indelible path on your journey–even if it’s just to get to the backyard to fill the birdfeeder! Snowshoeing at night? Finding your way isn’t a problem at all, as Joan Cofrancesco’s warm haiku (Camillus 2001), describes:

Moon looms over pines
Along the Beaver Lake trail
Snowshoes left behind

Speaking about enjoying outdoor activities during the Winter months, it seems only appropriate that we feature once again, this rich haiku poster from our 2014 Series.  The haiku, with a wonderful play on words, was written by Dianne Emmick and richly illustrated by former Syracuse University student, Ash Merkel.

Cars trapped in driveways. / Skiers glide softly mid—street / Making morning tracks.

Lest we forget, have you noticed the neighborhood kids with their colorful sleds? Do you remember, as a kid yourself, climbing that big hill in your own backyard, dragging up your new red Flying Saucer, holding on tight and getting that head-start of a push from behind?  If you do, you’ll enjoy this haiku by Elisabeth Anderson, (Lafayette 2001):

We haul our sleds up,
and push off. Trees blur, snow leaps
aside. We can fly!

As Thomas Stock (Fort Plain 2014) cheerily writes, Winter can be a sensory feast:

I am your haiku
In red ski vest gliding through
Your white city park

All in all, when you have a haiku warming your insides, January isn’t too bad!  Do you have a Winter haiku to share? Send it in the comments below and we will post it in our next Blog!

Stay Warm!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

A Haiku for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day. Bouquets of flowers and blue, Forget-Me-Nots.  They seem synonymous, don’t they?

To celebrate this very special day, we searched our archive of haiku posters and found the wonderful gem below from our 2004 Series!  

Written by frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Marilyn Shelton, the colorful poster was illustrated by former Syracuse University illustration student, Aja Gibson.

Corner vendor shouts / Flowers! Flowers! Flowers! Makes / City women smile

Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku for Winter Storms

Remember that old saying, “When March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb”? Well, let’s hope it holds true this year! Since March 1, Winter storms have wreaked havoc up and down the East Coast, dropping snow, rain and sleet from Hilton Head to Connecticut to London to the French Alps; they’ve caused power failures across New York State; and broken tree limbs are strewn about everywhere one looks!  Quite a lion of a start if there ever was one!

As Michelle Miles (currently, in sunny and warm Amman, Jordan) wrote this week:

A haiku would say
that springtime is on its way–
but first, a detour!

Meanwhile, the not so melodious sounds of snow blowers, snow shovels and loud, rumbling snow plows, continue to break the sometimes eerie silence of softly falling snow! A search of our archives reveals many haiku contributed by Central New Yorkers who’ve contemplated our fierce Winter snow storms alongside the sound–and the glory–of these useful snow storm tools! Here are a few to consider as you look out your window at the falling March snow!

From Thomas Michael Duncan (East Syracuse 2011), you know it’s going to be a long day for the city’s snow plow driver:

Accumulations.
The monstrous yellow machines
remove snow–spread salt.

A beautiful image from Laura Ferrel (Skaneateles 2013):

Pre-dawn whirs and scrapes–
a community chorus
born of snowy nights

A familiar scene, aptly described by Chen Chen (Syracuse 2014) — read more about this talented A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize winning author here:

Just the front scraped clean–
our car after blizzard wears
a mullet of snow

Our featured poster is a fine tribute to Winter snow storms! It’s from our 2011 Series with the clever haiku by Jim Kenty (Syracuse 2008) and the colorful illustration by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Maura McGonagle.

Syracuse snowflakes / meet their fate on the blade of / my shovel of doom

Aside from waiting for Spring to arrive by mid-March, if we learn anything from late Winter snow storms, it’s learning to have patience. However, if your street doesn’t get plowed for hours, you may feel like Elizabeth Patton (Elbridge 2008), in her vivid haiku:

Armies of snowplows
Invade snowbound neighborhoods
Winter prison break

Or, rather than impatience, you may feel like Ellen Agnew (Syracuse 2005):

as snow plows lumber
through the blizzard leftovers
grateful cars make room

Here’s hoping March goes out like a lamb!

Haiku for St. Valentine’s Day

If you follow us on FaceBook and Twitter, or if you receive our newsletter, you know that St. Valentine’s Day is one of our favorite occasions!  Over the last couple of years, besides highlighting love-themed haiku from our archives on this Blog, we have offered St. Valentine’s Day cards to download–free of charge–from our Website.  With some, by adding your own words of love with a specially commissioned drawing, you have the perfect card for your special Valentine!

For this year’s card, we turned to long-time friend of the Syracuse Poster Project, William Padgett, for both his design skills and for his aesthetic and poetic sensibility.  To view and download this latest addition to our special collection of St. Valentine’s Day cards, check out the “Free Stuff” section of our Website.  Pictured below, this year’s card celebrates both St. Valentine’s Day and the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Cold Ice, Warm Heart. Happy Valentine’s Day!

And….speaking of the many ways we express love, please enjoy our featured haiku Poster below from our 2013 Series. The poster’s warm haiku was written by Tom Rhoads, who comments, “This particular haiku is really just about the love and loyalty of an old friend and how that love and loyalty is a special joy.”  The poster was illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration Student, Katie Hampton, now a Massachusetts-based artist/designer currently working as a Digital Production Design Specialist at Forrester Research in Cambridge, MA.  Check out her collection of wonderful work here.  

Old and loyal friend, waking to find pure fresh snow, leaps like a puppy.

If you like this poster, you can find it for sale in our Shop section of our Website here.

This February, have a wonderful St. Valentine’s Day! Enjoy the Winter Olympics! And, stay warm!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for The Syracuse Poster Project

Warm Weather on Your Mind?

If you’re on our mailing list, or follow us on social media, you know that we frequently highlight our activities and events with a short newsletter-style email blast. This short bulletin also features a poster from our archives that best matches our latest news–and, it’s usually offered at a special discount! (**See how you can get on our mailing list below!)

Our latest newsletter teases us out of our Winter doldrums with a wonderful haiku poster from our 2013 Series showcasing Columbus Circle on a bright Summer’s day. Written by Ricky Maeweather and illustrated by Walter Kampf-Lassin, this wonderful scene certainly allows us to forget–even for a moment–the cold, dreary weather we’ve been having this January!

large buildings stand tall / the center always crowded / square blocks building lofts

It will be a few months yet until the sun warms us up as it does in this bright haiku poster, but we are always warmed by the responses we receive from our followers to things we’ve written about in our newsletter–and, our blog!

In fact, we’d like to say ‘thanks’ to our long-time–and now, long-distance–friend of the Syracuse Poster Project, Patricia Rickard, for her comment to our Columbus Circle dispatch.  From sunny Florida, where she is researching publishers for her book, ‘The Complete Guide to Child-Centered Musical Theater’, Patricia writes, “I hear from family and friends back in Syracuse and the North Country that Winter is already old and cold, and it’s only January.  Spring will eventually come to Syracuse in two more months!! So, close your eyes and be transported with this Haiku!”

Sun, Sea, Sand, Blue Skies;
Palm Trees Sway, Seagulls Swooping;
Red Hibiscus Bloom!

How simply marvelous…can you feel the warmth, now, of a soft, sunny blue day in January? Thank you, Patricia!

So, hang in there all you Central New Yorkers…it’s almost February!!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

---

**If you’d like to join our mailing list to receive news about our activities, invitations to submit poetry and notices of shopping deals, please contact us here. We’ll keep you informed by email and occasionally by direct postal mail. Rest assured, we do not share contact information or email addresses.

Haiku to Warm Up January

Snow and slush and sleet
and rain and hail–and sun!–and
clouds and ice and salt.

Typical of January, it’s been cold and snowy–and everything else inbetween–as mischievously described in Matt Tompkins’ (Owego 2013) haiku above. Dark frigid nights seem to last forever this time of year, too, though daylight is (thankfully) lasting longer. Haiku has the perfect ability to express these Winter days in such a way that you can nearly forget it’s January…well, almost! Try warming up with these few other haiku found in our archives and written by our wonderful contributors.

When it’s not too cold or blustery, January offers a great time to be outdoors. In this colorful haiku, poet Lee Savidge (Liverpool 2013) sets a sensory mood for a day skiing. Can you feel the anticipation?…the thrill of a good day on the slopes?…not noticing the cold on your face?

Perfect packed powder,
exhilarating ski trails–
lean forward and smile!

In just a few words, Kate Stewart’s (Cazenovia 2012) haiku beautifully describes a different kind of sensory experience only known during the long Winter months:

Snow diamonds twinkle.
Crisp night air, I hear only
Softly, gliding skis.

Like skiing, if you have ever snowshoed, you know you’ve left an indelible path on your journey. If it should snow overnight, you might have trouble finding that path again in the morning. But on a clear, moonlit night, you might not have any problem at all–as cleverly described in Joan Cofrancesco’s haiku (Camillus 2001):

moon looms over pines
along the Beaver Lake trail
snowshoes left behind

Reminiscent of the first ‘no school day’ of January, our featured haiku poster is from our 2014 Series. The haiku, with the wonderful play on words, was written by Dianne Emmick and richly illustrated by former Syracuse University student, Ash Merkel, now a working artist whose fine illustrations, sketches and ceramic work can be found here.

Cars trapped in driveways. / Skiers glide softly mid—street / Making morning tracks.

Speaking of ‘snow days’ have you noticed the neighborhood kids with their sleds? Do you remember, as a kid yourself, climbing that big hill in your own backyard, dragging up your new red Flying Saucer, holding on tight and getting that head-start of a push from behind? If you do, you’ll enjoy this haiku by Elisabeth Anderson, (Lafayette 2001):

We haul our sleds up,
and push off.  Trees blur, snow leaps
aside. We can fly!

All in all, when you have a haiku warming your insides, January isn’t too bad! Do you have a Winter haiku to share? Send it in the comments below and we will post it in our next Blog!  As Thomas Stock (Fort Plain 2014) cheerily writes, Winter can be a sensory feast:

I am your haiku
in red ski vest gliding through
your white city park

Stay Warm!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku for the Holiday Season!

The Holidays! Oh, the excited anticipation of them all! The planning and the decorating; the ever-changing shopping lists–two miles long; the food and the get-togethers with all that wine! And, then there’s the writing out of Christmas cards and the wrapping of presents; the lighting of candles and the Yuletide tree; the sounds of music in the air, at the school concert and in stained-glassed churches everywhere!

Phew! So, between the stress and the laughter, we’d like to offer you these few haiku from our archives to brighten your celebration of this season of light and love, hope and peace!

The holidays are Cookie Exchanges and building Gingerbread Houses with the kids:

Gingerbread delights
The Erie Canal is trimmed
With giggles and smiles!

Jane Verostek (Syracuse 2012)

It’s the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree:

Horse-drawn sleigh ride to
Cut a Christmas tree just right–
We build traditions!

Rosalyn M. Carroll (Manlius 2006)

Or, for the perfect gift:

Mom clutches my hand
We rush through winding traffic
Holiday shopping

Mary Demetrick (East Syracuse 2004)

The holidays are Mistletoe and Holly and beautiful Poinsettias:

Crimson-tipped arrows
Pointing North, East, South and West
Christmas arsenal

Michelle Miles (Amman, Jordan 2016)

Or, they’re a night time drive through darkened snowy streets for a visual treat; where Christmas and candle lights brighten neighborhood windows and lampposts, doorways and rooftops:

Levitating lights
Vivid vista sparkling home
Where the heart is full

Ronnie Bell (Syracuse 2010)

And, for many, the holidays are not complete without going downtown for the ceremonious “lighting of the tree”:

Huge pine in the Square
Anticipates the signal,
Then lights up Winter

Marilyn Shelton (Dunmore 2008)

Our featured Poster Illustrates just such a scene. The haiku poster is from our 2009 Series. The cheerful haiku was written by Nancy Liccione (Clay 2003) and brightly illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration Student, Yealim Kong, now a Home Textile & Graphic Designer based in New York City.

Nighttime in the Square / Tree lighting and carols sung / Skaters mingle there

However you spend these last few days of 2017, we wish you a warm and merry Holiday Season!

Ripped fingertip gloves
Cold keys and warm melodies
Fill dark streets with light

 Elizabeth Westfall (North Syracuse 2014)

Haiku for a Slow Start to Spring

Pink clouds dot the sky                                                                                                                                                                            Black crows fly past crescent moon                                                                                                                                                       A change of weather

                                                                                     by Peter Allen (Syracuse 2013)

---

Whether or not you care much about the weather, it is one of the major topics of conversation anywhere, anytime, anyhow, no matter the day or the time of year.  It pretty much affects everything around us and everything we do.  We, at Syracuse Poster Project, would rightfully guess that we receive more haiku written about weather–like the fine poem above–than about any other subject!

Changes in the weather often signal a change in the season, too.  For instance, in Central New York today, while the calendar may say Spring, the weather these past few weeks has been mostly cold, dismally grey and, well…cold.  In fact, on St. Patrick’s Day–usually a fine day to celebrate the imminent arrival of Spring–there were snowbanks here that were as high as an elephant’s eye! The tulips and daffodils that had started to peek out from the cold March ground were quickly sent packing.  

Moving from March to April isn’t always easy or fast.  Thank goodness for Haiku to put this change of season into perspective!  Take, for example, this poignantly expressive haiku from frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Jay Cox (Pompey, 2001):

Treetops’ sprawling arms                                                                                                                                                                        tremble, holding pale gray sky–                                                                                                                                                           snow patches linger.

Or, consider the perspective found in this uplifting haiku from Anton Ninno (Syracuse, 2008):

Last snow of the year                                                                                                                                                                                crashes down, heavy and wet                                                                                                                                                                 young buds shake it off

From Craig Overbeck, (Fayetteville, 2015), a stirring haiku with an artistic glimpse of what awaits us this Spring:

To the south, rain falls.                                                                                                                                                                  Gray brushstrokes sweep from dark clouds                                                                                                                                        To paint the hills green.

We think you’ll agree, this warm and delightful haiku by Rachel Guido deVries (Cazenovia, 2001) enriches any conversation about the weather or change of season.  Her words create a feeling beautifully captured in this poster from our 2015 Series by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Lise Sukhu.  To see more of Lise’s artwork, click here.

Dog sleeps safe from rain, / nestled in blankets, my feet / warm up, beneath her

Over the past several months we’ve highlighted many fine haiku written by our contributors about the weather and the change of seasons in Central New York.  Our accompanying featured posters beautifully underscore and accentuate the fine work we receive.  We hope you’ve enjoyed reading these poems as well as the few highlighted here today.  

And, remember, as we move from snow to rain this season, keep this cheerful haiku, written by Michelle Miles (Amman, Jordan 2016), in mind:

March into April,                                                                                                                                                                              Shed the outer cloak, breathe and                                                                                                                                                         Take the umbrella….

Until again, stay warm, stay dry! Happy Spring!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

A Haiku for Two Full Moons–Neither Blue

Springing forward this year, Daylight Savings Time brought with it the unusual surprise and delight of a full moon appearing twice over two evenings!!  Our beautiful moon was equally full on the evenings of March 11 and 12.  

This curious lunar event brings to mind the enchanting haiku poster from our 2002 Series.  A collaboration of words by poet, Bryan Wilbur, and art by former Syracuse University Illustration Student, Andy Walker, the poster reflects the view outside on this wintry March evening on the cusp of Spring.

Syracuse’s crows / laugh as a fairy ringed moon / paints the frozen peace

Stay warm and think Spring!!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku for Your Valentine!

We’re celebrating Valentine’s Day here at Syracuse Poster Project with a newly designed–and, free–Valentine’s Day Card! Since we began issuing Valentine’s Day cards in 2013, we’ve had some beauties, but we’re especially happy with this one by Naomi Masingale. Naomi is our Outreach Intern for the Spring Semester. She graduated from Pratt with a degree in Communication Design and Illustration and is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Arts Administration at Le Moyne College.

You can find Naomi’s Valentine’s Day Card here.  If you’re the do-it-yourself type, you can download any of our other specially designed cards here and print them yourself. You’ll have a PDF of an 8.5 x 11-inch sheet, which you can trim and fold into a 5 x 7-inch card.  Writing a haiku to your special someone couldn’t be easier!  

And, as haiku is our forte, we have searched our archives for words of Love that might inspire your own!  Here, we re-post some haiku from our 2016 Valentine’s blog.   

Oubon Phommanyrath’s (Syracuse 2013) haiku transcends the ordinary with her thoughtfully chosen words:

     I chase the song of                                                                                                                                                             life. My heart knows the hidden                                                                                                                                    path, where love finds me.

Kathryn Hammer (Syracuse 2015) speaks tenderly of love with her endearing haiku:

     Love, come sit by me                                                                                                                                                         The sun is tucking in now                                                                                                                                                My shoulder is yours

Marilyn Shelton (Dunmore 2003) engages us in a stolen moment of love with her charming haiku:

     Young opera moon,                                                                                                                                                           you caught us stealing kisses                                                                                                                                          Under red awnings!

Sandra Hewett’s (Syracuse 2014) haiku nicely sets the scene for a romantic evening shared with a loved one:

     Candles glow brightly                                                                                                                                                       On the table as we eat–                                                                                                                                                Faces full of love

Speaking of romance, it might be snowy and cold outside, but our featured 2007 Syracuse Poster Project haiku poster is sure to warm you on this St. Valentine’s Day. The poet: long-time Syracuse haiku contributor, Robert Gaurnier, and former Syracuse University Illustration student, Bret Supranowicz, now working in New York City as a designer and illustrator; he is also the Creative Director at Xtreme Time Inc..

Beneath many stars / diners feast on sweet music / in Armory Square

If you are still stuck for ideas to give your Valentine, check out our Pinterest Board, where another of our volunteers, Naomi Coufal, has cleverly gathered together several romance-themed posters from our archives for easy viewing and shopping.

Wishing you a warm and happy Valentine’s Day!

Winter’s Grey Hue

The promised light of December’s Winter Solstice seems to have temporarily disappeared behind grey clouds this January in Central New York.  Along with cold temperatures, lingering patches of icy dirty snow have also made for some rather bleak days here.  But for the brief moments of morning sun, or the colorful flight of cheerful Cardinals and noisy Blue Jays, cloudy skies remain the dominant trademark of Winter in Syracuse.  While a backdrop of grey is not wholly unexpected this time of year, we certainly could use some clear, blue skies!

As you might expect, writing haiku brings a whole new perspective to cloudy and grey.  And, it’s a perfect antidote for cabin fever.  Digging through our archives of wonderful haiku contributed over the years by Central New York poets, we found a few which might give you pause to reflect before going completely stir-crazy!

Frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Jay Cox (Pompey 2007), vividly taps into our search for blue skies while braving the cold on a wintry Syracuse day:

     Blue sky illusions                                                                                                                                                               scrape Winter’s gray haze—slogging                                                                                                                          numb down Salina

Pamela Lynch’s (Oneida 2013) graphic haiku brings an artist’s eye to this discussion of grey Winter skies which can indeed be quite stunning at times:

     Fronts collide to paint                                                                                                                                                       Phenomenal cloud skyscapes                                                                                                                                        Swirling overhead

From Elizabeth Patton (Elbridge), the ominous feeling of another impending storm is quite striking in this evocative 2005 haiku:

     Iron sky holding                                                                                                                                                                back the snow; the roar of rail                                                                                                                                       cars, then grave quiet

Frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Janine DeBaise (Kirkville 2002) and Associate Professor of Printmaking at Syracuse University, Holly Greenberg, worked together to create this remarkable poster from our 2006 Series.  Clearly, you can find beauty on a stark Winter’s day.

Snow sweeps the sidewalk / Piles fluff onto bare branches / Turns gray to glisten

Frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Sherry Chayat (Syracuse), finds both beauty and a kind of acceptance of Winter’s hold on us with her captivating 2009 haiku:

     geese skim the river                                                                                                                                                          as clouds gather overhead                                                                                                                                              bittersweet season

Hope you’ve enjoyed these few samplings from our archives.  It’s wonderful how writing Haiku provides a way of expressing deep emotions and seeing nature from a variety of perspectives with just a few words.  So, when Winter’s grey is making you blue, write a Haiku!

It’s Winter…and, it’s Cold!

It’s only the first month of Winter, and already, it’s cold, grey and snowy!  But, inbetween thick bursts of Lake Effect snow, we’ve had occasion to soak in brief periods of sunshine.  Sometimes,  just seeing blue sky is enough to warm up and brighten one’s mood, but overall, it’s been just plain cold!  Living with snowy, cold Syracuse Winters has been the subject of numerous haiku contributed by Central New York poets.  We’ll try to warm you up with a few of them!  

Despite the cold, getting outdoors is one way to tackle Winter.  Can you picture yourself in Rachel Brown’s (Baldwinsville, 2008) fine haiku?

     I bundle up warm                                                                                                                                                              laced up tight, feet on the ice,                                                                                                                                        the cold air at me

As cold as it is, sometimes, just standing in the falling snow can be something wonderful. Syracuse poet, William Neumire’s (2012) haiku beautifully depicts such an occasion:

     Snow in lamplight stills                                                                                                                                                   the streets until we all stop                                                                                                                                            and reach out our hands

Our featured poster from our 2007 Series exemplifies ‘cold’ in its many forms.  By using the proximity of Clinton Square’s Ice Skating rink with Syracuse’s Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, Skaneateles poet and regular contributor to the Syracuse Poster Project, Mary L. Gardner, paints a vivid picture.  Former Syracuse University Illustration student, Chris Casciano, now a professional Illustration Artist, beautifully captures the essence of Mary’s words with his poster.

Sculpted heroes stand / guard on the icy square where / cold blades dart and glide

Baldwinsville poet and frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Martin Walls (2012), finds warmth in one of Winter’s many sounds:

     Snowflake settles on                                                                                                                                                         The skating rink with the sound                                                                                                                                    Of children laughing

And, Jay Cox’s (Pompey, 2001) haiku vividly describes a typical Winter’s day in Syracuse: 

     Skaters swirl around                                                                                                                                                         Clinton Square—Lake Effect snow                                                                                                                              blankets the city

Stay Warm!

Sparkling Lights of the Season

This Holiday Season, Central New York has been white, grey and cold!  Fortunately, December traditionally warms us up a bit as it sparkles with the twinkling glow of Menorah Candles, the soft gleam of red, black and green Candles of Kwanzaa, and with the brightly colored lights wrapped ‘round a freshly cut Yuletide Tree.  As Teddi Caltabiano (Liverpool 2011) writes:

     Sidewalks gleam                                                                                                                                                                 Holiday lights softly shine                                                                                                                                              Christmas in the ‘Cuse

A nighttime drive through Syracuse’s snowy streets can indeed be a visual delight. Varicolored Christmas lights and decorations adorn neighborhood lawns, lampposts, doorways and rooftops.  Lit up Christmas Trees can be spied through curtained windows and storefronts, too.  From our 2004 Series of Posters, artist Elizabeth Crosby beautifully captures such a scene using poet, Beth Miller’s captivating words:

A Christmas Tree glows / Through windows of memory / Jasper Street – my home

A drive around Clinton Square on a snowy December night will make you smile, too, as warmly dressed ice skaters, laughing and singing, fly past the City’s brightly lit Christmas Tree.  This giant of a tree is covered from top to bottom with glistening lights of red, blue, green, yellow! It’s the perfect backdrop for the Square’s rink as delightfully imagined in this poster from our 2003 Series.  The haiku was written by frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Robert Gaurnier and illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Erick Ledesma, now a busy Studio Artist living in his homeland of Puerto Rico.

around Clinton Square / flakes of falling snow dissolve / on Christmas tree lights

And, lest we forget, Nan Gartner (Fayetteville 2010) reminds us of the warm light of the moon, too:

     December snowflakes                                                                                                                                                       Fall by moonlight on late night                                                                                                                                    strollers in the square

Wishing you a de-light-ful Holiday Season!

The Color Orange

The color, Orange, is alive and well in Central New York.  Visually beautiful, Orange is the height of the season this year.  Shades of Orange–from Yellow-Orange to Red-Orange, light Orange to deep, nearly Brown-Orange–still dress many trees here.  But look around, and you will see blankets of Orange covering wooded stands of near-naked trees, carpeting front lawns and backyards, raked high on neighborhood curbs, stuck in the tangle of low, fading bushes, crowded into window-well corners, plugging up gutters.  Drive in the howling rain and Orange comes slapping at your windshield and paints the roadway slick!  

Bright Orange Pumpkins have been a smash hit this year, too–no pun intended!  Add to this their colorful family members, Gourds and Squashes, we now have a lush harvest, too. Syracuse Poster Project haiku contributor, Jean Somlo (DeWitt 2014), affirms this plenteous season of Orange with her evocative poem:

     Farmer’s bounty here                                                                                                                                                       Colorful and succulent                                                                                                                                                      Cooks delight tonight

Meanwhile, up on the Syracuse University Hill and all along the Orange Corridor, the color Orange dominates playing fields aplenty!  Frequent Syracuse Poster Project haiku contributor, Paul Goat Allen (Camillus), adeptly wraps it up with his rich 2001 haiku:

     autumn’s golden shine                                                                                                                                                     harvest, sweet corn and football                                                                                                                                  the orange city

What better way to celebrate the season of Orange than with this splendid haiku poster from our 2015 collection.  The poet: Christopher Caskey (Sicklerville 2011) and the artist: former Syracuse University Illustration Student, Rob Byers now a freelance illustrator and designer.

Leaves raked–a mile high.  Young ones dive, imagining football field of glory.

What inspires you as Autumn leaves fall?  What connotations does the color Orange instill in you?  Write your thoughts in a haiku and add it to the comments below.  We’ll publish your haiku here on our blog!

Happy Raking!

Autumn’s Brilliance

Every year, it seems, we assure ourselves that Autumn will be as colorful as the year before–our memory clearly remembering the rich Fall colors of years past.  With such a dry, hot Summer of 2016, the theory was there’d be no color to witness this Fall. Thankfully, that didn’t happen!  We think you’ll agree, this year, Autumn in Central New York has surely outdone itself what with its brilliant and long-lasting shades of red, red-orange, orange and golden yellow–even shades of mauve dressing the leaves of certain trees!

In fact, many of Central New York’s old, towering trees, some with their trunks draped in red kudzu, make for beautiful canopies along local byways and highways. Their striking colors, comforting in their familiarity, seem as warm as blankets!  This feeling is delightfully described in Sally Lloyd’s (Cazenovia 2010) haiku:

     Autumn rolls out quilts                                                                                                                                                     along Route 20 . . . Yellows                                                                                                                                            reds, golds warm our hearts

These last several days of October can be felt in this picturesque haiku by William Padgett (New Woodstock, 2008):

     Crisp Autumn sunshine                                                                                                                                                   Shadows stretch while dry leaves dance                                                                                                                    Warm scarf pulled tightly

Frequent Syracuse Poster Project haiku contributor, Bethaida Gonzalez (Syracuse 2014) and former Syracuse University Illustration Student, Anna Ellis, combined their love of Autumn in this charming poster from our 2015 series.

Autumn winds comfort / spreading scents of the season / like an ocean breeze

Joan Loveridge-Sanbonmatsu’s (Syracuse 2005) haiku adds another colorful dimension to the beauty of Autumn:

     Sea oats shimmer gold                                                                                                                                                     in October’s dimming light                                                                                                                                            waves in Autumn wind

And, from Peggy Liuzzi (Syracuse 2010), a somewhat nostalgic perspective of Autumn:

     I miss you most when                                                                                                                                                       the Autumn skyway sings with                                                                                                                                      the calls of wild geese

Autumn–it is a season of color, earthy smells and the rustling sounds of leaves flying. What is your favorite sensory experience of this season?  We’ve chosen only a few of the many beautiful haiku we have in our archives about Fall to share with you here–write us your thoughts in the comments below and we’ll share them in the next blog.

Happy Reading!

 

Finding Solace in Haiku

It’s difficult.  Finding the right words to use when tragedy strikes.  Again.  When lives are cut short.  Not wanting to sensationalize.  But, wanting to say something.  Something that will support, comfort and soothe.  

Eagles nestled in                                                                                                                                                        High above the peaceful shore                                                                                                                           Watching, protecting                                                                                                                                                                    By Michael Brigandi / 2014 Syracuse

Our archives hold many haiku describing love, hope and the clear, simple splendor of Nature.  We’ve chosen only a few with the hope that you will find solace in their words.

Heaven’s cries resound                                                                                                                                            Weeping tears open flowers                                                                                                                                   New day springs alive                                                                                                                                                                  By Deb Bateman / 2002 East Syracuse

Our featured poster is from the 2010 collection.  The beautiful haiku was written by Peggy Liuzzi and the gorgeous illustration by former Syracuse University Illustration Student, Alec Acevedo, now a freelance illustrator and in-house artist for Jay St. Video Games in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

White trilliums light / the dark forest floor glowing / ghostly like spilled stars

Pulse.  We are touched and saddened by what’s happened in Orlando.  One of many horrific events that will be in our hearts for a long time…like Sandy Hook, Aurora and Columbine, San Bernardino, Ft. Hood, Boston, Charleston, Oklahoma City….

Love, come sit by me                                                                                                                                                    The sun is tucking in now                                                                                                                                           My shoulder is yours                                                                                                                                                       By Kathryn Hammer / 2015 Syracuse  

With our deepest sympathy.

Over graves and drifts                                                                                                                                              frozen teardrops of snow sigh                                                                                                                                   and whisper soft grief.                                                                                                                                                                  By Mary Taitt / 2011 Grosse Pointe Farms

The Syracuse Poster Project  

Springtime Reflections

---

spiraling around                                                                                                                                                          the mailbox pole, they climb, climb                                                                                                                       brief springtime neighbors!

Our thanks to Michelle Miles, (Amman, Jordan, 2016 and youngest sister of this blogger), for her comment on our last blog, (Waiting for Spring to Spring!), in the form of this richly evocative haiku.  We think you’ll agree, her words could easily describe the Clematis, Morning Glory or Honeysuckle you’ve seen lately snaking up mailboxes, lampposts and telephone poles–all reaching for Spring’s blue sky!

Around Central New York, you may have also noticed red-tinged Peony buds and purple-budded Irises shooting up in freshly mulched flower beds.  Frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Audia Denton (Ithaca) cheerfully describes how good the colors of Spring can make us feel in her 2011 haiku:

   Shoot forth stems of Spring                                                                                                                                            hues from every source waving                                                                                                                                    flowers smile at us

Fragrant and colorful Lilacs are making their appearance now, too, while Apple and Cherry blossoms are filling out many a bare-limbed orchard.  Another of our frequent contributors, Jennifer Groff (Lancaster 2013), celebrates all the blooming going on with this wonderful Springtime haiku:

   flowering trees flaunt                                                                                                                                                      voluptuous silky blooms                                                                                                                                                  of new spring dresses

Springtime in Central New York is also grey baby goslings vying for space with afternoon golfers on bright green golf courses.  It’s a family of  black turtles sunbathing on half-sunk tree logs along the Erie Canal.  It’s blue Robin eggs spied in a new nest.   Norma Odell’s (North Syracuse) 2014 haiku vividly describes another Springtime activity:

   Bobbing goldfinches                                                                                                                                                        Upon purple coneflowers                                                                                                                                                Ignore my feeders

Lest we forget, nothing says Spring like the smell of freshly mowed grass or the smell of rain after days of dry weather.  Our featured haiku poster is from our 2006 collection. Written by Sheila Forsyth and illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Elizabeth Black, it lends itself well to Spring musings, doesn’t it?

Rain beads on petals / Thornden among the roses / After passing storm

Spring flowers, Spring smells, Spring sounds and Spring sites…ah, joy!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

Waiting for Spring to Spring!

Around Central New York this year, Spring seems slow in showing up.  Digging through our large archive of wonderful haiku, this 2013 poem by Joan Dear-Houseman (Chittenango) is striking in its description of how unhurried a start to Spring it’s been this year:

 Mittens on my hands,                                                                                                                                                Contradicts the month of May.                                                                                                                                Will Spring ever come?

The sudden demise of early Spring flowers saddened many of us…thank goodness for the brilliant cheer of our fine-feathered friends as depicted in this playful 2013 haiku by frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Sam Donnelly (Syracuse):

On a frosted branch                                                                                                                                                          A love-sick chickadee croons–                                                                                                                                    You-hoo, babe, it’s Spring!

And, if you don’t see anything blooming brightly yet in your neck of the woods, look closer–as Robert Gaurnier (Syracuse) does in his illustrative 2003 haiku:

  Ducks in Webster’s Pond                                                                                                                                         dive under the Spring sunshine                                                                                                                             tail ends sprouting up

Still looking for Spring?  Check your lawn, where crazy as it may sound, dandelions have already begun to seed!  David Hitchcock (Fayetteville) vividly captures this disparaged Spring flower in his 2009 haiku:

  Dandelions spring,                                                                                                                                    disturb the tranquil green lawn                                                                                                                        with cheeky yellow.

One of our lovely Spring posters comes from our 2014 Syracuse Poster Project series. The haiku was written by James & Barbara Yonai (Syracuse) in 2011 and illustrated by former Syracuse University illustration student, Emily Rhain Andrews, now a Vermont based freelance illustrator.

Spring comes, flowers bloom / deer dine on floral buffet / gardeners must pay

Finally, as we wait for Spring to spring, consider the hopeful words of this 2010 haiku by frequent Syracuse Poster Project contributor Joan Loveridge-Sanbonmatsu’s (Syracuse)

  Spring rains gently coax                                                                                                                                               earth for purple primroses                                                                                                                                         to open anew

How do you wait for Spring to spring? Send us your thoughts in a haiku and we’ll add it to our blog!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

April – Come What…May

April.  The word itself elicits all things Spring: April showers that bring May flowers, soft breezes and memories of April in Paris, cherry blossoms and lilacs, love poems and songs…think Simon & Garfunkel, April Come She Will and Frank Sinatra’s rendition of I’ll Remember April.  

Joan Loveridge-Sanbonmatsu’s (Syracuse) 2007 haiku easily describes an April scene some of us woke up to this morning:

High walls of Spring snow
Line the roads of the city.
When will the tulips bloom?

April is also a month of celebration.  In fact, Syracuse Poster Project is celebrating its 15th year!  Bringing together community poets and Syracuse University artists and illustration students,  Syracuse Poster Project creates an annual series of poetry posters which are hung in kiosks throughout downtown Syracuse.  Be sure to catch our annual haiku-poster unveiling event on Thursday April 14 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Commons, 201 E. Washington Street.  

Coincidentally, this April marks the 20th Anniversary of National Poetry Month; and it also marks the Smithsonian’s 14th annual celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM).  Speaking of Jazz, a Syracuse shout out to this year’s SAMMY’s Music Educator of the Year, jazz guitarist, Mark Copani and to Andrew Carroll on his Syracuse SAMMY Award for Best Jazz Recording for his debut album, Alliterations.  

April is also the start of fishing season and the first heady days of baseball season.  We think you’ll agree that our featured Syracuse Poster Project haiku poster from our 2007 collection beautifully depicts an April scene. The haiku was written by poet Claire Bobrycki and illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Wei Hsing.  

Cold hands, smoky breath / Brown trout jumping Nine Mile Creek / in the April dawn

Our thanks to one of our readers, (Anonymous), for this wonderful Spring haiku, below. Responding to our recent question, What is your favorite sign of Spring?, we think you’ll agree, this beautifully descriptive haiku evokes all the hopes of Spring that April brings.  

March into April,
Shed the outer cloak, breathe and
Take the umbrella….

Happy Spring!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

The March to Spring!

It’s been a chilly, rainy “March” to Spring this year.  Much different than what we experienced last year–a cold, snowy, and seemingly interminable journey!  But still, Spring has sprung at last, and when mornings awaken blue and bright, it’s as wonderful as this 2015 haiku by Syracuse Poster Project contributor Sean Conrey (Syracuse):

     A spring breeze still cold                                                                                                                                                   All nerves beneath the black oak                                                                                                                                    A new leaf unfurls

Depending on where you live, you may still have patches of snow on the ground.  But that hasn’t stopped the green shoots of tulips and daffodils from pushing their way up through the soggy Winter ground just as imaginatively described as in this 2012 haiku by Jane Woodman (Syracuse):

    Syracuse snow banks                                                                                                                                                          cover heat-seeking missiles                                                                                                                                             of Spring daffodils.

No doubt you’ve also seen colorful blooms of crocuses cropping up everywhere you turn.  More than Winter’s white and grey, these sweet hints of Spring colors to come is delightful–as is this 2011 haiku by Sam Donnelly (Syracuse):

    Blossoms in short shorts                                                                                                                                                   Sunbathing between snow banks,                                                                                                                                  Blooming in the thaw

…Or this 2014 haiku by Andrew Schep (Syracuse):

    forsythia arms                                                                                                                                                                     sleeved in little bursts of sun                                                                                                                                           shoveling the snow

While the earth is renewing itself, our fine-feathered friends are returning home, too.  Robins, of course, among the first signs Spring has arrived.  Surprisingly, even Gulls, as vividly described in this 2008 haiku by Alexa Carter (Fulton), herald hope:

    Gulls like drifts of snow                                                                                                                                      Gather on the shores in spring                                                                                                                         Harbingers of fun to come

One of our many favorite posters from the 2009 Syracuse Poster Project Collection, written by longtime Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Jay Cox and illustrated by teacher and former Syracuse University Illustration student, Devin Scannell aptly describes this taut time between Spring and the last of March snows.  

A blackbird sways on / a goldenrod stalk covered / with afternoon snow

Finally, a fitting tribute to Spring by another of our haiku contributors, Marilyn Shelton (Dunmore, 2005):

    Snow melts to lilies                                                                                                                                                              Of the sweet valley, reborn                                                                                                                                              In sensuous spring

What is your favorite sign of Spring?  

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

March Madness

It’s that time.  The Ides of March, when the tables turned on Caesar, and the battle for power…oh wait… I mean, that time of year when the battles of March, played on basketball courts around the country, determine who will be the 2016 National Champion!

East, West, South, Midwest–what better way to express the excitement of March Madness than our featured 2008 Syracuse Poster Project haiku poster created together by poet, Pat Flowers and former Syracuse University Illustration student, Gabe Eng-Goetz:

Fenced in glory hoops / leap in air toward heaven / endless chatter scores

Congratulations to the Syracuse University basketball team for their selection to play in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.  In another day or so from this posting, they’re scheduled to play the Dayton Flyers.  And, while the game won’t be here at home, Michael Brigandi’s (Syracuse) 2013 haiku resonates with our hopes for them:

Dark walking through snow                                                                                                                                  Uphill, wet cold, bundled, warm                                                                                                                          Back down, Orange win

Good Luck!

The Music of March

March has arrived – whether as a lion or a lamb, it’s too early to say – but, there is certainly music in the air!  You can hear it in the wind.  Just listen to the lion’s roar in Rachael Ikins’  (Baldwinsville) 2011 haiku:

 Always hungry, March,                                                                                                                                         Sub-zero gales, snow knives cut.                                                                                                                        Peaceful arc, tender spring.

You can hear it in Thomas Stock’s (Ft. Plain) inspired 2015 haiku:

 Hear eager March sun                                                                                                                                                Turn Winter packed icy eaves                                                                                                                                  To notes of spring song.

And, like Eric Darby, (California, 2009), you can hear it in the lilting song of our fine-feathered friends:

 A robin perches                                                                                                                                                            on the snowplow blade, singing                                                                                                                                  its bright orange song.

Speaking of the cheerful sound of birds, you can find this beautiful 2007 illustrated haiku on our Syracuse Poster Project Shop page.  Poet: Claire Bobrycki and Artist: Mike Tanoory.  

Ten below zero / Chickadees go on chirping / Outside my window

Lion or lamb, March has a beautiful sound all its own.  Listen for it and let us know what you hear!

 

Celebrating Black History Month With Haiku

February may be the iconic month of Winter Celebrations. There’s Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday, the first lunar day of the Chinese New Year, and Winterfest.  February is also Black History Month.  

We are celebrating Black History Month with two haiku posters from our 2008 Collection. Both haiku, at once, powerful and beautiful, were written by Syracuse poet and educator, Omanii Abdullah.  One poster was illustrated by Dusty Herbig, a Syracuse University Associate Professor; the other by Rod Martinez, also a Syracuse University Associate Professor.  Both posters can be found on and purchased from our Shop page.

I am from the hood / The hood did not enslave me / I am my master   

I have no boundaries / In this city of my birth / I, too, roam freely

It may surprise you to learn that the celebrated American author, Richard Wright (1908 – 1960), also wrote haiku – thousands of them!  Better known for his novels, (Native Son, Uncle Tom’s Children), short stories and non-fiction (Black Boy), his haiku were written between 1959 and 1960 – the last year of his relatively short life.   A collection of his haiku was first published in 1998 as Haiku: This Other World and again in 2012 as Haiku: The Last Poetry of Richard Wright.  We’ve chosen a few of these beautiful pieces to share with you. We think you’ll agree, they aptly celebrate both Winter and February!

  Standing in the field                                                                                                                                                       I hear the whispering of                                                                                                                                                 Snowflake to snowflake

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   In the falling snow                                                                                                                                                            A laughing boy holds out his palms                                                                                                                            Until they are white.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  From across the lake,                                                                                                                                                     Past the black winter trees,                                                                                                                                         Faint sounds of a flute.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Standing patiently,                                                                                                                                                          The horse grants the snowflakes                                                                                                                                  A home on his back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you have a favorite haiku by Richard Wright?  Send us your comments, we’d love to hear from you!

 

 

Valentine’s Day Wishes

Valentine’s Day: a sweetheart of a day, dedicated to the celebration of love, symbolized by red hearts and roses, chocolate kisses, maybe a candle-lit dinner, whimsical cards and love poems.  

Haiku being our forte, we searched our archives for words of love that might inspire your own celebration.   Oubon Phommanyrath’s (Syracuse) 2013 poem transcends the ordinary and beautifully elicits love:

     I chase the song of                                                                                                                                                                                    life. My heart knows the hidden                                                                                                                                                            path, where love finds me.

Kathryn Hammer (Syracuse) expresses love endearingly in her 2015 haiku:

     Love, come sit by me                                                                                                                                                                                The sun is tucking in now                                                                                                                                                                        My shoulder is yours

Marilyn Shelton (Dunmore 2003) sweetly notes a cherished moment of love in her 2003 haiku:

     Young opera moon,                                                                                                                                                                                  you caught us stealing kisses                                                                                                                                                                Under red awnings!

And, Sandra Hewett (Syracuse) shares a special Valentine’s Day moment with her 2014 haiku:

     Candles glow brightly                                                                                                                                                                              On the table as we eat                                                                                                                                                                              Faces full of love

This year, we at the Syracuse Poster Project, are celebrating Valentine’s Day by offering two, newly designed and downloadable, Valentine’s Day Cards.  Thanks to Zhongwen Hu, a native of China now studying for a master’s degree in illustration at Syracuse University, this Valentine’s Day card includes a text box for writing your own haiku. You can see more of Zhongwen’s work at her Behance site or her Instagram site.

Our thanks also to  Shiwen Su, another native of China who is also studying for a master’s degree in illustration at Syracuse University.  Her delightful Valentine’s Day card has plenty of white space on its cover for writing your own haiku. You can check out more of Shiwen’s work at her Tumblr site.

If you still stuck for an idea, you will find a couple of our older, and just as whimsical, Valentine’s Day offerings and other inspirational items by clicking here and here.

It might be freezing cold outside, but our featured 2008 Syracuse Poster Project haiku poster is sure to warm you on this St. Valentine’s Day weekend.  The poet: long-time Syracuse haiku contributor, Jungtae Lee ,and former Syracuse University Illustration student, Sahng-Yeon Lee:

A curious moon  / peeping over the rooftop  /  in Armory Square                                                                    

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Winter Hues

Grey skies got you feeling blue?  Does it seem there’s not much more to Winter in CNY than the grey skies that tend to dominate our wintry landscape?  Well, our frequent haiku contributors have offered up some colorful images that may cheer you up.

Take, for instance, this joyful haiku by Michele Reed (Oswego, 2002):

   Red scarf, blue mittens                                                                                                                                                    A blur of color through snow–                                                                                                                                    Clinton Square skaters

Or, Ellen Wheeler’s (Fayetteville, 2015) mirthful haiku:        

   Evergreens wearing                                                                                                                                                        their coats of wintery white–                                                                                                                                      time for snow angels!

If the site of blackened roadside snowbanks distresses you, look in the radiant direction of Joan Loveridge-Sanbonmatsu’s  (Syracuse, 2006) haiku:

    Chunks of ice melting                                                                                                                                                     in the cold silver-blue lake                                                                                                                                           Snow lilies floating

Or, look up, and you might see this glowing image as written in a haiku by Jay Cox (Pompey, 2005):

   Icicles glitter                                                                                                                                                                      and clouds shadow now-cloaked hills                                                                                                                      in a full moon’s light

There is so much to see in white, falling snow, too.  Take this beautifully vivid haiku by Laura Ferrel (Skaneateles, 2014):

   Snow spins through streetlights,                                                                                                                                  delicate silver threads of                                                                                                                                                downtown’s winter cloak.

Besides white, of course, David Hitchcock’s (Fayetteville 2008) haiku reminds us of another familiar color we’ll find on a snowy day:

   In the Salt City                                                                                                                                                                    a yellow snow plow sows salt                                                                                                                                        as our town grows cold

Our featured image, part of the 2013 Syracuse Poster Project collection, is a vibrant and rich reminder of all the color that can be found on a dreary Winter’s day.  Illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Carolyn Glavin and poet, Janice Scully, this haiku poster is certain to cheer.

 

 

 

 

Cardinal, feathered

masked bandit on a snowy

limb–all can see you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go find some color!

 

Provisions for a Winter’s Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the 2007 Syracuse Poster Project Collection: poet: Arthur Flowers and former SU Illustration Student, Lydia Nichols

 

 

If grey skies have got you blue, and you’re tired of the cold already, why not head down to Provisions Bakery & Restaurant in Armory Square.   Serving warm comfort for breakfast and lunch, the newly renovated site is currently hosting our travelling exhibit of framed poster prints – a visual delight!

As Norman Cohen’s (Jamesville NY) 2010 haiku cheerfully exclaims:

Climb over snowbanks                                                                                                                                                                         Navigate icy sidewalks                                                                                                                                                                                Hot cocoa inside!

What better provision for a cold Winter’s day!

Stay Warm!

It’s Winter – isn’t it?

Well, it’s officially Winter – or so the calendar says.  The Season of Light, the Winter Solstice, New Year’s Eve – all behind us now.  But for the balmy 50 degrees weather we’ve been having on and off since Thanksgiving, you wouldn’t know that it is January in Central New York.  So, where’s Winter?

Equating snow with Winter – as most of us do in CNY – frequent Syracuse Poster Project haiku contributor, Gary Weinstein (Syracuse NY), mused this question in 2004:

Strange…I miss the snow.                                                                                                                           The endless blanket that tucks                                                                                                                             us in all winter.

From the sound of the howling wind tonight, one can only imagine Winter as we know it will soon be here.  Scott Austin (Brooklyn NY) anticipated Winter with his 2011 haiku:

Listen to the wind                                                                                                                                            And you can hear snow approach                                                                                                                       Moments before flakes

CNY’s first major snowstorm of the 2016 season, (post New Year’s Eve weekend), has already been washed away by warm weather, high winds and lots of rain after only a few days on the ground.  Tom Westpfal, (Fayetteville NY), captures this somewhat muddled Winter we’re having in his 2013 Syracuse Poster Project haiku contribution:

Grass poking through snow                                                                                                                           Has winter just ended—nope                                                                                                                                It has just begun

Thankfully, it doesn’t seem we will be having the long, bitter cold Winter we did last year – or like folks are now having in the Midwest.  Regardless, this beautifully illustrated 2005 Syracuse Poster Project haiku poster – written by Ellen Agnew and illustrated by former SU Illustration student, Ivy Hickam – sums up the ‘warm’ side of Winter.

Nature’s gift of snow, allows us to slow our pace,  take time to reflect

 

Here’s to Winter and a Happy New Year!

Getting Inspired

Hope you enjoyed a pleasant Thanksgiving Holiday.  It’s been only a handful of days, really, since the last of the leftovers was eaten and the office email back under control.  And during this relatively short period of time, meanwhile, we’ve endured Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and GivingTuesday!  If you’re worn out already, you’re not alone!  

Having trouble finding poetic inspiration from a good sale?  Look no further than your favorite electronic device.  Whether it’s an iPhone, an Android, an iPad, a laptop or a desktop, there are plenty of websites and apps out there to help nudge your creative juices flowing again during this somewhat stressful time of year!

For instance, Poets & Writers, a not-for-profit organization, offers a variety of online tools and services for writers including their excellent source of inspiration,  The Time is Now E-Newsletter.  Delivered straight to your online mailbox, the e-newsletter offers weekly Poetry, Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction prompts intended to kick-start your imagination.  

HaikuJAM is a relatively new app whose approach is a little different – rather than working by yourself to come up with a complete haiku, HaikuJAM offers you an interesting opportunity to collaborate with other writers to help you create – and finish – a unique piece of poetry.

There are hundreds of poetry blogs out there, too.  Rattle: Poetry for the 21st Century, mentioned on these pages before, offers interesting reading and thematic challenges including, an Ekphrastic Challenge – Art Inspiring Poetry. Similar to our annual Syracuse Poster Project Challenge, Rattle issues a monthly challenge using paintings or photographs to inspire poetry.  Results are fascinating!

You are likely to find inspiration right here at Syracuse Poster Project, too. Thanks to the creative work of our own database development intern, Yingxue Xiao, we recently introduced Haiku Of The Day on our Facebook and Twitter pages.  Reading these daily selections is a wonderful opportunity to read, reflect and become inspired.

Happy Writing!

 

Autumn’s Apple Harvest

Apples, Apples, Apples! Nothing says Autumn better than apples–Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Cortland, Cameo, Paula Red, Granny Smith, Gala, Ginger Gold, Macoun, McIntosh, Empire, Fuji, Jonamac, Jersey Mac–take your pick!  Red, green, soft, firm or crisp, there is nothing like the sweet essence of fresh Autumn apples. Add a little sugar–maybe some flour and butter, too–and you have apple crisp, apple fritters, apple sauce, apple pie and apple donuts.  Of course, don’t forget sweet or hard apple cider, apple wine, even apple vodka!  Need we say more?  

Well, yes, actually…our local poets have plenty to say about apples, too!  Digging through our archives, we found several haiku from our contributors.  We thought we’d share a couple with you including this artfully written haiku by Sallie Bailey (Fayetteville NY) in 2010.  If you’ve ever driven south on I-81 towards Lafayette and Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards, you’ve seen this remarkably beautiful scene! 

 South of the city                                                                                                                                                                        Orchards unfold like carpets                                                                                                                                               Patterned with apples

Kathleen Nyzio’s (Skaneateles NY) charming 2011 haiku deftly describes the sensory effects apples can have on us–even in our dreams and memories!

 Sweet apple orchards                                                                                                                                                            Cinnamon spice flooded dreams                                                                                                                                                  Wake me up, autumn!  

And since we’re speaking today of apples, we could not resist (no pun intended) revisiting this gorgeous 2004 Syracuse Poster Project haiku poster.  The poet: frequent Syracuse Poster Project haiku contributor,  Peggy Liuzzi.  The artist, former Syracuse University Illustration student, Morgan McArdle, now a storyboard artist and illustrator living in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Like Eve in Eden
I wander apple-lush hills
dreaming my first bite

Whether apple picking or baking an apple pie with your mother, whether a warm memory of hot cider after raking fallen leaves or bobbing for apples at a Halloween party, apples and Autumn go hand-in-hand.  We think you’ll agree, Marilyn Shelton’s (Baldwinsville NY) 2005 haiku exquisitely captures Autumn’s many treasures:

 Twilight’s harvest sky                                                                                                                                                                Frames apple boughs, pumpkins, drifts                                                                                                                                       of leaves. We are home.

Happy Autumn!

Haiku For A Valentine

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Valentine’s Day–a sweetheart of a day, dedicated to the celebration of love! Symbolized by red hearts and roses, chocolate kisses and candle-lit dinners, whimsical cards and love poems, it’s one of our favorite days of the year!

Haiku being our forte, we’re often searching our archives for poems and haiku posters that perfectly fit an occasion or holiday. For this St. Valentine’s Day post, we come back to these wonderful haiku from our talented contributors.

Oubon Phommanyrath’s (Syracuse 2013) poem beautifully elicits love and transcends the ordinary:

I chase the song of
life. My heart knows the hidden
path where love finds me.

From Meg Catanzarita, (Syracuse 2010), a whimsical haiku whose word-play has Valentine’s Day all over it:

Alphabet clusters
beget confabulation
PS I Love You

Frequent haiku contributor, Marilyn Shelton (Dunmore 2003) sweetly notes a merry and colorful moment between two sweethearts:

Young opera moon,
you caught us stealing kisses
Under red awnings!

And, Sandra Hewett’s haiku (Syracuse 2014) sets the scene for a memorable Valentine’s Day dinner:

Candles glow brightly
On the table as we eat
Faces full of love

Speaking of love and romance, it might be frightfully cold outside, but our featured 2007 Syracuse Poster Project haiku poster is sure to warm you up on this St. Valentine’s Day. The poet is long-time Syracuse Poster Project contributor, Robert Gaurnier; the poster was illustrated by former Syracuse University Illustration student, Bret Supranowicz, now working as a designer and illustrator in New York City.

Beneath many stars / diners feast on sweet music / in Armory Square

If you’re stuck for an idea for something special to give your sweetheart, feel free to download one of our specially commissioned St. Valentine’s Day cards here. As we have done in years past, each of our Valentine’s Day cards are created with a wonderful background and enough space to give you an opportunity to write your own love poem. Our 2019 card can be downloaded here. It was artfully designed by Jiaqi Liu, our Spring semester graphic design intern.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project

🍁🍂🌻Thanksgiving Greetings 🍁🍂🌻

We are reposting this 2016 blog to wish you a cornucopia of good wishes for a healthy and bountiful Thanksgiving! And, while there may be some lingering Covid-19 factors preventing you from participating in traditional Thanksgiving festivities, we hope your table is set with kindness and hope.

From our 2014 Syracuse Poster Project Series, our featured haiku poster was created by poet, Vinh Dang and artist, Chad Wallace a professional illustrator who also writes and illustrates books for children.

Shining farm market
Season of splendid colors
Flowers kiss flowers

If you need more Thanksgiving haiku and illustrated scenes of Autumn’s harvest and gratitude, click here on Thanksgiving or Autumn Harvest!

Have a good Thanksgiving!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

Haiku For Veterans Day

💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟

A well-written Haiku can say a lot in only a few words and 17 syllables–it can tell a story and even express deep emotions; it can also be political and make us pause to reflect upon the world around us. Like other forms of poetry, haiku can speak to war and peace, heroes and fallen soldiers, victory and defeat, freedom and sacrifice, and gratitude. 

Souls of the soldiers
march and quiet names surround
Freedom’s arena

by Mark Shevalier (Henderson 2007)

While Memorial Day is a day of solemn observance reserved to honor and remember all Americans who have died while serving in our country’s military service, Veterans Day is reserved for all Veterans who have served in our country’s Armed Forces whether in war or peace, alive or dead. 

Price of our freedom
evident within these walls,
veterans — heroes.

by Ellen Wheeler (Fayetteville 2012)

Originally called Armistice Day, this federal holiday commemorated the end of World War 1 — ‘the war to end all wars’. Its name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the holiday was eventually amended to honor and thank all American Veterans of all wars for their many sacrifices.

Heroes defended
Liberty and freedom rang
Stars and stripes rippled

by Michelle Miles (Denver 2016)

Our featured haiku poster this Veterans Day is from our 2019 Series. The colorful haiku was written by contributor, Michele Madonna and beautifully illustrated by community artist, Alyssa Dearborn. We think you’ll agree, the poster exemplifies the strength, freedom and goodness of our nation and its Veterans.

Flying on moonlight
above Onondaga’s waves
Eagle’s wings dancing

Monuments, ceremonies and parades typically celebrate Veterans Day. With the pandemic cancelling most of these special events this November, we hope you’ve enjoyed these few haiku from our archives that best express our observation of Veterans Day and our gratitude for all our Veterans!

Soldier’s homecoming
duties satisfied for now
Toddler gets a hug

by Pearl Popiak (Syracuse 2011)

Thank you!

Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

🎃🎃 Haiku To Celebrate Halloween 🎃🎃

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Sea oats shimmer gold 
in October’s dimming light 
waves in Autumn wind

by Joan Loveridge-Sanbonmatsu (Syracuse 2005)

It’s Halloween! A mid-Autumn day worthy of celebrating the season with poetry and art — which is what we do here at Syracuse Poster Project!

Sunset awakens
winding trails of pumpkin dreams
nature is glowing	

by Jane Verostek (Syracuse 2012)

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Bountiful orchards
Pumpkin patches, Trick—or—Treat
Oh, crisp, sweet Autumn

Poet: Audia Denton
Artist: Elizabeth Michals
Series: 2016

👻👻👻👻👻

On the old canal,
a ghost barge drifts soundlessly
a fallen leaf rides.

by Michael Sickler (Minoa 2012)

Also known as All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve, Halloween is a day that portends wayward ghosts, witches on broomsticks and goblins that go bump in the night! 

Gleaming ghosts still wait
At a vacant train station
This is their last stop

Poet: Julia Calagiovanni
Artist: Amabel Caba
Series: 2012

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

On cold, dark porch steps,
Jack O’Lanterns grin and wait.
Beware, you tricksters!

by Rosalyn M. Carroll (Manlius 2015)

With carved pumpkins illuminating the night and starched scarecrows scaring us silly, Halloween nicely helps us celebrate the waning days of Autumn. 

Walking my puppy—
Hear him crunch through autumn leaves
The next minute—snow!



Poet: Michele Reed
Artist: Jessica Colton
Series: 2007

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

For more Halloween treats, click here on “Halloween” or look under Categories: October!

Twilight’s harvest sky	
Frames apple boughs, pumpkins, drifts
of leaves. We are home.	

by Marilyn Shelton (Baldwinsville 2005) 

Happy Hauntings!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

🍂🍂 Haiku For Autumn 2021 🍂🍂

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

Just like clockwork, the Autumn Equinox arrived last week with the colorful turning of Maple trees, Hydrangea Mopheads and Hardy Mums. 

As Autumn colors
playgrounds, school-swept children play
in their bright new clothes.

by John Parker (Syracuse 2016)

White Hydrangeas fade 
to pink as late Summer rains 
feed the Burning Bush

by Rosalyn M. Carroll (Manlius 2021)

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

From towering Sunflowers and laden-filled Farmer Markets to crowded Apple Orchards, Autumn not only tickles the senses but allows us to slow down and breathe deep its many pleasures.

Cornfield seas rolling,
Dewy warm cider mornings--
Hillsides’ joyful gifts.

by Dave Gangemi (Camillus 2017)

Music fans listen
on straw bale chairs under a
deep blue Autumn sky.

by Diane Lansing (Syracuse 2007)

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

From our 2020 Series, our featured haiku poster vividly illustrates one of the many ways Autumn tugs at our senses. Both artist, Picasso Dular, and poet, Kathleen Wheatley, used nostalgia and their autumnal memories of smell and taste to create this evocative poster.

Sweet apple orchards
Cinnamon spice flooded dreams
Wake me up, autumn!

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂 🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎 🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

Autumn is more than Falling Leaves and migrating Geese. As evidenced by our archive of haiku and previous blog posts on the subject, Summer’s End and the vibrant Change in Season is the source of reflection and inspiration for many area poets and artists.

Horse Chestnut petals 
like flowers on a mule’s hat
paint canal waters.

by Michael Sickler (Minoa 2001)

Chill wind stirs the woods. 
Gold leaves sail like pirate ships 
Out of the blue sky. 

by Craig Overbeck (Fayetteville 2018)

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

Happy Autumn!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project

Our Annual Call for Poetry 2021 – 2022

Our Annual Call for Poetry is happening now for our 2022 Poster Series. The Syracuse Poster Project cordially invites you to participate!

Flea market treasures
found midst heaps of cast—off junk
start a second life.

Poet: Ellen Agnew
Artist: Chelsea Fierst
Series: 2011

But first, a quick note: as we begin our 21st year of bringing poets and artists together to create civic art in Syracuse, we are modifying our approach to this unique creative collaboration with two basic changes:  

One: we are altering the poetic prompt to encompass our new theme of ‘Seven Syracuse Spirits’. With this thematic poetry prompt, we are seeking expressions of place that evoke the character and spirit of Central New York. Rather than ‘naming names’, think of these Seven Syracuse Spirits as muses, personae or archetypes–essentially, the essence of places and experiences that make our region special. The 2022 list of ‘spirits‘ can be found here. 

Storm over Solvay—
Bright gulls skirl about a thick
Cloud of umbrellas

Poet: Martin Walls
Artist: Paul Jacob
Series: 2002

Two: in addition to our usual request for haiku (5-7-5), poets may now submit up to three (3) short, three-to four-line poems in the spirit of haiku. We are asking that these short poems have lines no longer than eight words each. Poets can select up to three ‘spirits’ and submit one haiku / poem for each.

Snow is falling thick,
Covering me with white lace.
I've wed my shovel.

Poet: Rosalyn M. Carroll
Artist: Erica Bortnick
Series: 2012

If you’ve submitted poetry before, consider contributing more, honing earlier submissions, or sharing this call for poetry with a friend. If you’re new to the Syracuse Poster Project, think of it as a chance to share your creative talents. Did you know that beyond posters, your work stands a chance of being shared with the public in other ways—through our Shop via specialty note cards and booklets; on our poem-of-the-day features and on large-format flat screens; you may also find your poetry included here on Our Blog.

Empty factories
Swapping machines for tenants
Neighborhoods are born

Poet: David Manfredi
Artist: Ellen Edgerton
Series: 2021

So, get writing! The deadline for submissions is September 30. To download an Entry Form, click here. To download the Call for Poetry Brochure, click here. Or Contact Us here to be put on our mailing list. We will notify poets of the 2022 Series selection in December.

And, for all you artists out there: If you are interested in participating with this year’s Poster Series, please send your contact information to jim@posterproject.org by September 30.  For further information, please check out our FAQ Page For Artists, here. 

Finally, a note for elementary and secondary school teachers: We enjoy the vision and spirit of student work. If you have your class participate, please help with the selection process: for each class, send us five of your best student hai

Thank you!

Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for Syracuse Poster Project.