Poster Image

A couple sits on a bench as trees shed autumn leaves around them

$20

Item#: 2015SYR14

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.

Golden Crimson Leaves

poster information

Description

Golden crimson leaves
Infused with sunlight hue—fall
blazing my pathway

There is such an intoxicating beauty to a crisp fall morning in Syracuse. The suffocating heat and humidity of the dog days of summer begin to subside. Cool nights and frosty mornings work their alchemy, transmuting the green leaves to crimson and gold.

The morning I was inspired to write this haiku, I was walking on State Street in front of the Everson Museum. It was a late October day. The sidewalk was carpeted with fallen leaves. I was enchanted by the sound of the leaves beneath my footsteps, their song beckoning me to take notice of their beauty.

I sat down on a bench and in gratitude wrote the haiku as a tribute to their blazing glory!

I wanted to show a person alone, but they're happy about it, because there's a comfort in solitude. I definitely like being around people, but sometimes you just have to be yourself, and I think that's kind of what art is for me, a way to get away from everyone, and just do what you want to do.

I'm also a musician. I play oboe, tenor sax, piano and banjo, and I'm learning ukulele. And I've played on the street before—with my friends in the city. It's really fun. But I think this piece is more about playing for yourself, because the haiku says, “lone violinist, snowy walk.” No one is going to be outside at that time. It's a personal performance, just for that person. I like that.