NYC Street Art - Winter 2024

One of the things I love about street art is it’s impermanence. When you come back to the same piece of street art, it has been changed, added to, defaced, disintegrated and will inevitably be removed. These are limited time exhibitions, available for anyone on the steet to see, ignore or appreciate, and it’s one of my favorite parts of walking around the city.

Street art throughout Tribeca and the lower east side of Manhattan, including graffiti, sticker art, a glass mosaic and a couple art pieces from the chrysler building.

Katherine Bradford

Queens of the Night - Glass Mosaic - Commissioned by MTA near Lower at 1st Avenue Station

Poetry Night: Ode to a Dumpling

My first poem for poetry night. Picture courtesy of my oldest son.

ODE TO A DUMPLING (A Pugs Poem)

High above his servants he sits or squats 

Wrinkles upon wrinkles give evidence of wisdom beyond years

His morning constitutional, his retinue trails behind him, eagerly awaiting to clear his waste

Fiercely territorial

He suffers no trespass upon his lands

Some might call him cute

It is merely a ruse, meant put his adversaries at ease.

Those who underestimate him, do so at their own peril.

His mercy and favor are granted to those who perform their duties admirably.

At his service are an entire table of food testers.

Only the choicest bits are reserved for his palette.

He much prefers his standard fare.

Hills science diet

On occasion, Meow Mix

And on the finest days, perhaps an hors duerve perfectly aged in the cat box.

11/14/23 -JS

Poetry Night: What is a man?

A coffee shop near me was hosting a poetry night. I’d never been to one, and it inspired me to hold a family poetry night with my kids. Everyone who wrote and performed a poem or story got a Klondike bar. Each of the kids wrote some incredible stories. Here is the poem I wrote and performed that night:

What is a man?

This is a question almost every young boy will ask themself, will struggle with, will wrestle with. 

Their friends will confidently tell them their own definition.

Religion and cultures will try and define it.

Do young jewish boys really believe that they are men after their Bar mitz vahs?

Andrew Tate will tell you he has an answer.

Society will tell you what they think it should be. But Society changes depending on where you may be, and what year it is. 

It’ll put hair on your chest.

Does that mean it will make you a man?

I tried it. Didn’t seem to make much of a difference. 

Now I’ve got 3 boys. 

Sons.

Father. 

Father of 5 at 36

First son at 21

Twins at 23

Four children at 24

We let a fifth sneak in at the end of 29

That’ll put hair on your chest…. Your wife’s chest too. 

I must be crazy right?

I used to be ashamed to tell people how many children we have.

Have you heard of a tv?

Yeah, I know.

Have you heard of religion?

Have you heard of brainwashing?

Have you heard of Catholicism?

I guess my mistake was I took it too seriously.

I thought if I was open to life, my life would be blessed.

But the more kids we had, the more stress we had.

The more we suffered financially.

The more I saw my wife suffer.

Physically.

Emotionally.

Is this what God wants?

Not anymore.

And so, I’m no longer Catholic. 

I won’t saddle my kids.

With the same threat of hell.

Or Promise of Blessing.

So what is a man? 

I love my kids.

They give my life meaning.

They give it drive. 

I give them my best.

It’s never enough.

5 kids is a lot. 

You learn a lot about yourself.

You understand a lot more about history.

About your ancestors.

About why so many grandparents

With 10 children were alcoholics.

You learn about desperation.

You learn how important holding a job is.

Desperation.

I look back at some of the jobs I’ve held.

I look back at how desperate I was

That I wouldn’t lose my terrible job.

In all that desperation though

There was something I found.

I was crushed under different employers

Until I found a job with a union.

I’ll forever be grateful.

For what the union helped me find within myself.

There was an idea there. 

My Employer NEEDS ME. I have value.

We have value.

We are stronger together.

I may not have a college degree.

My only skillset may be to manipulate people into spending more money

Than they had planned to come into spend

But my employer needs me, and people like me. 

When I realized I had value.

I put more of my energy into growing that value.

Now I’m not desperate.

If I’m fired tomorrow.

I’ll find another job before the end of the week.

Maybe I’ll even get a raise.

I have value. I like myself. I don’t need to prove myself to anyone.

Now my oldest is 14.

What did you say, son?

You’ve heard of Andrew Tate?

You like him?

Oh…. God….

Wait, hold on…

You’re just fucking with me.

When I was a kid.

I was told I was amazing.

I was special.

I was enough. 

I never believed it though.

Neither did my classmates.

So with all that.

What is a man?

I try to answer this question for my sons. 

I don’t want them to struggle like I did to understand this question.

But, maybe the answer is in the struggle.

Maybe each man must answer that question for themself.

Maybe all I can do is tell them my own story

Maybe all I can do is love them

Maybe all I can do is support them.

Maybe all I can do is tell them they are enough.

Even if they don’t believe me. 

Maybe all I can do

Is be the best man

In the best way I know how. 

11/14/23 - JS

November’s End in the Hudson Valley

End of November pictures from Pleasantville, Cortlandt, Cornwall, and Salisbury Mills.