Poster Image
$20
Item#: 2015SYR04
Purchase Details
11x17-inches, printed on heavy weight (100-pound) Hammermill cover paper. We package each print with a piece of chipboard in a clear plastic sleeve.
You also receive…
An information page with photos of the artist and poet, and hand-written comments from each.
Medium- and large-format posters are available by custom order. Contact us for details.
Leaves Raked—a Mile High
poster information
Description
Leaves raked—a mile high.
Young ones dive, imagining
football field glory.
This poem came to me when I was working at a middle school in South Syracuse. I saw some kids taking turns running a football into a huge pile of leaves. Each time the kid with the ball would come out the other side and do his touchdown dance. As the game kept going, it became clear that it was more about the celebration than the actual football play.
The scene took me back to my childhood when I used to do the same thing with my brothers. This unsupervised moment of neighborhood kids playing symbolizes my Syracuse experience.
I'm a football fan. I didn't really play as a kid, but I like throwing the football around. My friends all watch football, and my family is obsessed. I'm from Boston, so my team is the Patriots (Tom Brady is the GOAT). When I read this haiku, I immediately had an image come to mind. I knew I needed a large shape and small elements, so this could be read from a distance. The boy is wearing “44” in honor of all the greats who have worn that number: Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, and Brian Scalabrine.