Snow heaped on statues,
City shrouded in silence,
Ghostly winterscape.
by Dianne Emmick (2010 Camillus)
It’s January, and Winter has definitely arrived in Central New York. Punctuated by the documented effects of climate change, recent headlines indicate Winter is also making its frosty march across much of the country right now. In fact, over the last couple of weeks, cold, wet and windy weather has ushered in the new year with a wintry-seasoned blast!
I'm globally warm
freezing on a downtown street,
in snow all the while
by Mike Milliken (2009 North Syracuse)
From our archive of well-crafted haiku and beautifully illustrated posters, you can see that Winter in Central New York is characterized—and even appreciated, sometimes—in diverse and colorful ways.
Snow spins through streetlights,
delicate silver threads of
downtown's Winter cloak.
Poet: Laura Ferrel
Artist: Alexandra L. Grant
Series: 2020
Snow blankets the sill….
the birds and deer seek shelter…
only the wind moves
by Yvonne Kovits (2022 Little Falls)
When a light dusting of snow becomes 2-3 inches…okay, it becomes 6-8 inches…well, maybe it’s quickly becoming a foot…bundle up—it’s time to pull out a shovel!
Snow is falling thick,
Covering me with white lace,
I've wed my shovel.
Poet: Rosalyn M. Carroll
Artist: Erica Bortnick
Series: 2012
Snow plows spit out sand
and frosted cars crawl dark streets
like igloos with eyes
by Joan Sauro (2011 Syracuse)
Brilliant, blinding, blowing, blustery lake-effect snowstorms can sometimes create unexpected havoc—especially if you need to run to the grocery store for milk and bread! Easily blanketing rooftops and driveways, roads and runways, waiting for the village snow plow to hit your neighborhood can be nerve-wracking to say the least. But never-fear, sooner or later, they’ll be there—thankfully!
Armies of snowplows
invade snowbound neighborhoods
winter prison break
Poet: Elizabeth Patton
Artist: William Padgett
Series: 2019
snow clinging to black
branches, a symphony of
chiaroscuro
by Cynthia (Sam) Foley (2023 Ithaca)
As you might agree, Winter can be an evocative time of year when you have a haiku-flavored view of the world. Whether snow is gently falling, or the day is bright and chilly or just grey on grey, we hope you’ve been inspired to find some warmth and cheer in the wintry-seasoned world around you.
Do you have a Winter haiku to share? Send it in the comments below and we will post it in an upcoming Blog!
And as always, to read more about each poet and artist listed above, click on their name where highlighted. Click HERE for more thoughts and haiku about the month of January. To read more Winter–related haiku on our Blog, click HERE. And, if you’d like to purchase any of the illustrated haiku posters featured on this post, click on the highlighted Series Year; if you’d like to view and purchase any of our other beautiful haiku posters, click HERE.
Stay warm!
Posted by Rosalyn M. Carroll for the Syracuse Poster Project
Poster Project Blog 