Poster Image
$20
Item#: 2013SYR12
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.
Poem Inspiration Location
Old and Loyal Friend
poster information
Description
Old and loyal friend,
waking to find pure fresh snow,
leaps like a puppy.
This particular haiku is really just about the love and loyalty of an old friend and how that love and loyalty is a special joy. Returning that love when the seasons change is kind of a special honor. Traditional haiku often has a seasonal theme, and here, it was winter and the end of our time together. This haiku was one that I had thought about time and again, so I edited it several times before submitting it. When something holds special meaning for you, I think it improves the product, so I was very honored to be selected. Knowing that what I wrote made my wife shed a couple tears was probably my favorite part of this project; this was about a special companion for both of us and she thought this was a great way to honor our old friend.
This haiku stood out to me because I imagined a happy older dog with the spirit and energy of a puppy, excited to find a fresh pile of snow. It reminded me of my Cocker Spaniel, Buddy, who had recently passed away. I kept Buddy's happy face in mind as I drew the dog. My style is lighthearted and cartoony, so I wanted to build on that. I took it on as a challenge to make the dog look like a puppy as well as elderly at the same time.
I had hoped so much that my poster would be chosen to be downtown, and I'm thrilled that it will be! I've wanted to be a part of the Poster Project since I first heard of it. As a young art student, I would see prints in the hallways. I thought, “Wow! That's what you do when you're a senior? That's amazing.” When I saw the large prints downtown, I thought to myself, “I want my work to be here someday.”