Poster Image

A child sits on a couch with a cocker spaniel sleeping in her lap

$20

Item#: 2015SYR10

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.

Dog Sleeps Safe from Rain

poster information

Description

Dog sleeps safe from rain,
nestled in blankets, my feet
warm up, beneath her

I wrote this poem several years ago. It was another very cold winter, and I was lonely. There came my wonderful cocker spaniel, Scout. She positioned herself up against me, comforted me, and kept me warm. She sensed what I needed.

What I like about haiku is that it is like a Japanese or Chinese painting—spare and lovely, with each line evoking openness to perceiving what the natural world offers. It's a kind of magic that is transformational.

When I read my poem, I am immediately transported / transformed to the moment of its happening. I remember what I was feeling. It makes me miss my dog. Scout died three years ago.

A lot of people in Syracuse hate the rain, but I think it's beautiful. When it's raining here, I find it nice and calming. I'm from Albany, and I've grown used to it and enjoy it. The poem made me think of rain in Syracuse and people's connections to it. This is my roommate's dog and this is my nephew, Andre. My roommate went to Corcoran, and she shows me all the things locals do in Syracuse, like the haunted stone crusher at Split Rock Quarry and Green Lakes. My nephew is only 3, but he's really invested in Syracuse and always wants to hear about it. When you have someone older that goes to a school and you look up to her, it's really cool to be able to say, “My aunt goes there!” So he definitely supports the team.