Dianne Apter

contributor to 1 poster

  • One woman holding a box of bottles of Challis stands on the front steps of a building in wintertime while other women of varying ages sit around her

    Poet

    Syracuse Front Porch

    I wrote this haiku several summers ago. In the few words allowed by the haiku structure, I tried to capture the joy I felt spending time with women on my city block in Syracuse. We are women at various ages and stages in our lives. Our 90 year old neighbor would establish herself on her front porch late on summer afternoons, with her glass of Challis—her silent signal for others to join. Usually there were three or four of us, sometimes with a young daughter or granddaughter included. There was always laughter as we came together to talk about the important and trivial events of the day. I love living in the city, I love the connectedness of people in my world. I love the front porch ladies.