I'm from the upper east side of Manhattan. When I first came to Syracuse, I remember being unable to sleep for the first couple of months because it was so silent. It was a tremendous culture shock.

So the thing that attracted me to the poem most was its urban appeal. When I got the assignment, I spent the whole day just walking around taking pictures. That's something very close to home for me because in Manhattan you walk everywhere.

Also, when I read the poem I knew exactly what corner the poet was referring to. It's like a straight up city corner—pretty grimy, but I like that. Something about that is very real to me.