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Wilderness Press :: Pop Culture :: Haiku on 42nd St.: A Celebration of Urban Poetry and Art

Haiku on 42nd St.: A Celebration of Urban Poetry and Art

   Before New York City's Times Square got Disney-fied and Giuliani-ized (for your protection, of course), it was famous for being a little, ahem, seedy. During the transition from peep show to shopping mecca, the blank marquees of the closed theaters served as a canvas painted with words by local writers and artists.

    In celebration of the 10 year anniversary of this wonderful project, Haiku On 42nd St., originally a bestselling poster, has been adapted and re-introduced as a postcard collection.

    Each haiku is presented on a single page and printed in full color on card stock with a postcard template on the reverse. The pages are perforated so readers can easily share this whimsical poetry with far-flung friends and family.

    For more info on the whole project, read the full story below.

    As everyone in Gotham knows, the previous two decades had dimmed the bright lights of the Great White Way, both literally and metaphorically. For 42nd Street in particular, the bulbs had burned out: populated primarily by porno shops, vendors of all sorts hawked their wares on the sidewalk.

     So while Times Square retained all the attractions and conveniences of modern life, the food was suspect, lodging was measured out in hour-long stays and reserved for everyone but the weary traveler, what passed for running water spilled from the fire hydrants, and roving residents availed themselves of both indoor and outdoor plumbing. Although undeniably unique, it was a questionable distinction of uncertain dignity.

     Starting a decade ago, everything began to change. The city began to shutter the flesh shops, other buildings closed for renovation, and the wayward stroller no longer had to nervously check over his shoulder. Major corporations moved into the area with the influence of a workaday existence adding stability and different sort of customer service.

     Overnight, a wonderfully whimsical collection of wordplay appeared on the abandoned movie marquees that stretched down 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues: Haiku on 42nd St.

     As thousands of New Yorkers trek down 42nd Street daily, their morning and evening commute was graced by the simple presence of the verse each morning. These snippets of imagery, especially when juxtaposed against the seamier grotto of town, were enchanting, inspiring, even uplifting, which is a lot to say about a stretch that usually smelled like a dumpster.

     What the day before had been an eyesore, a slightly toxic warm-up lap in the daily rat race of workdom, became a jaunty stroll in the park. Eyes were raised in surprise, which really went against prevailing wisdom since pedestrians never knew what they might step in there. Newcomers stopped in their tracks. Sometimes, the person walking alongside would “Wouldja look at that.”

     The installation brought an enchanting energy and vivaciousness to the block. To walk down the street was magically transporting; the images spun by the verse and the quirkiness of the installation set amidst the bustle of NYC made it indelibly memorable.

     And we all lived happily ever after... ...or so one might wish.

     As chronicled in each and every metropolitan publication, there’s more action taking place in Times Square now that ever before, and that’s saying a lot. But as with most human endeavors, it now seems that the zest for transformation has gone too far, that developers are maniacally bent on eradicating all traces of an earlier anything.

     BIG BRIGHT NEW SHOPS have taken over. Everywhere you look, there’s LOTS OF THINGS TO BUY. While it feels wrong to be publicly nostalgic for a rougher edge, to want a less than perfect world, as the renovation of the area takes place, it seems like a lot of the character(s) is being lost. While no one seeks to deny visitors a chance to a NYC landmark without risking life and limb, nonetheless Times Square ought to be something besides a giant mall.

     Sadly, there is no longer even a venue upon which one might mount a creative exhibition of street art — all the shiny new veneers are undoubtedly plan-a-grammed out through the end of the century. NYC has lost something when it can no longer be home for such a display of art and language.

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Author	The Editors of Clerisy Press
ISBN	978-1-57860-315-2
Quantity in stock	100 item(s) available
Weight	1.00 lbs
Market price	~~$9.95~~
Price:	$7.46

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