I was drawn to this haiku because it conjured up Syracuse weather and the feel of this sleeping, gray beauty. It was pretty clear to me how I was going to create the image. I thought of the snow first. I wanted to have these veils of different densities of snow falling over a skyline. Not the grand skyline of Syracuse—I tried that. There was something nicer about this simple, nondescript corner.

Then the tree comes in as a bit of life. Even though Syracuse is a post-industrial city with a lot of concrete, street lights and telephone wires, it also has an abundance of green and natural beauty. So that sprig of tree is to hint at what lies beyond.
Because that's what I enjoy about living here—all the wonder of spring and summer.