I am proud to belong to the Sanctuary City of Syracuse. As I drive to and from work each day on Lodi Street, my heart is warmed by the diverse immigrants living there, in tiny houses, reveling in tiny yards as their children play in safety, in the park. Because of this, the poster spoke to me. We are their beacon of hope, the promise for a better tomorrow. Our city was named for a beautiful city in Sicily by people who fled there to start a new life; for freedom and a chance to be anything they want to become. Since then, other people from different countries have fled here for different reasons but seeking the same dream. We are their light in the darkness. We are their new home.

I have always written poetry as the muse inspires me…so on the back of envelopes or scrap paper. Over the years I have begun to collect the scraps in a small journal, so they are in one place.

The full moon has been a fascination passed down from my mother’s side of the family.

But haiku is difficult because it needs to be concise in a rigid pattern. It is a work of commitment to combine a poem and the full moon into a haiku, which is why I was so happy to have one of my haiku picked by the Poster Project.