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Title: Feminist
Poet: Olivia Biederman (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
I was not born into this world,
sculpted from oceans and mountains,
light,
love,
and stars,
woven together by magic,
and music,
and words,
in order to fit your expectations of me.
I will not silence myself in designation of your
comfort.
I am a goddamn forest fire,
and I will not apologize for burning the weeds
in my way.
I dare not follow your rules,
and I dare not succumb to the objectification,
degradation,
or isolation of my sisters.
I am a flower and I am a tornado.
I can be both beautiful and devastating,
and I refuse to let you mold me into nothing.
I am a woman and I have magic in my veins and
power in my voice.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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Title: The Feeling of Winter
Poet: Peyton Buckholtz (Harborfields High School, Grade 10, Age 15)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
Blankets of white are all around,
The calm and silence, no one’s in sight.
The wind’s howl the only sound,
It’s winter in the dark of night.
I hear the crackle and see the flame,
I feel the warmth from head to toe.
I welcomed winter as it came,
But always glad to see it go.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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| Title: My World's Colors
Poet: Brooke Decker (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
Everything is yellow,
the autumn leaves not yet fallen,
the warbler flying overhead,
my never-ending youth.
Everything is orange,
the ripe orange hanging from the tree,
the monarch butterfly resting on a branch,
my growing indifference.
Everything is purple,
the darkening sky at dusk,
the lilacs meticulously arranged in front of the house,
the love in my heart.
Everything is red,
the long hair she carefully combs,
the stain left on lips from cherry lollipops,
the embarrassment in my face.
Everything is blue,
his incandescent eyes,
the new jeans waiting to be worn,
my short-lived moments of serenity.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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Title: On Being a Machine
Poet: Dana Drogin (Cold Spring Harbor High School, Grade 11, Age 16)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
Your eyelashes are the hands
on a clock, and you are staring at me,
ticking and ticking and ticking and
waiting for me to tick back,
the moon is your inspector
flicking his flashlight around
your insides, trying to decide
just how fixable you are, you
are looking at me and spewing words like an oil spill
babbling to me,
the way your feet traced steps instead of taking them
the way you were taught about your mechanics
never about your maintenance
you are everything machine
about a body —
fed fuel, release exhaust fumes.
this is the kind of pollution that makes you
worthwhile.
The kind of wind-up doll motions that keep
your hands on your silverware
your silverware on your plate
instead of on your body
the space that you take up
being paid for
with every stanza you carve with your fingernails,
your smile as you remember how good
it feels to have gears left
unrusted
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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Title: Why I'm Special
Poet: Jake Eckerle (CommackHigh School, Grade 10, Age 16)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
I am from thumbtacks
From Windex and Irish Spring shampoo
I am from the green house on Sandy Street
(Comfortable, clean
It felt like a blanket)
I am from the Japanese maple tree
The Evergreen
Whose leaves never change
I'm from the Easter Ham and goofy pranks
From mom and dad
And my loving grandparents
I'm from the Sunday night restaurant dinners
And birthday celebrations
I am from the clouds in the sky
My mother's stomach
I am from the Sacred Heart
The eternal love of Jesus
I'm from Italy, Germany and Ecuador
Pasta and pernil
From the Black Forest
The Equator
I am from the wrestling mat, shelves in my
grandparents' house
I am from generations of hard workers and success
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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| Title: Stop
Poet: Liora Hyman (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
My friend was walking down the street the other day,
wearing her brother’s oversized hoodie
and a pair of 3-day-old sweatpants.
I see her walking, but I don’t stop.
She walks to the bus now on Fifth Avenue,
slipping between the cracks, hiding behind walls
masked in the invisibility of city life.
I watch her closely, but I don’t stop.
She walks right past me, unseeing, but I saw her.
Eyes like mirrors where all you see is a reflection of
yourself,
covering up the broken, cowering girl behind them.
I feel her sadness, but I don’t stop.
We had all heard the story before.
It made its way into every ear in America,
into her soul and chipping away at her dignity.
I know her struggles, but I don’t stop.
Her keys were in the same bag she left at your place,
along with her passport, her driver’s license,
and her v-card.
I regret my silence, but I don’t stop.
Just like you.
You saw her, just like you watched,
felt and knew.
And you never stopped.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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Title: Ordinary Colors
Poet: Britany Khatchatatourian (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
Blue as the eyes of the innocent child,
the playful dolphin jumping from the ocean,
the melting glaciers in the morning sky,
the mailbox in front of my house,
and the blueberries waiting to be picked.
Yellow as the waddling baby duck,
the lemonade stand on the corner of the street,
the sunflowers growing in my garden,
the banana on my kitchen counter,
and the traffic light at the intersection.
Red as the cardinal soaring,
the stop sign at the end of the block,
the roses in my window,
the seams on a softball,
and the fire truck racing down the street.
Black as the backboard of a field hockey goal,
the marble notebook that sits on my desk,
the pile of leggings that lay on my floor,
and the sneakers in my gym locker.
Black as the death of a loved one,
draining the color from everything around me.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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Title: Neglected
Poet: Sara Lopez (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 18)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
Neglect is a puddle of dirty water
Sitting by a crowded sidewalk in the big city
A child’s glove floating
Along with discarded candy wrappers
Deceased bugs bumping into each other
And moving with the wind
Children are told not to jump in it
People step over it
Eventually the puddle will evaporate and be
forgotten
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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Title: Anxiety
Poet: Aisha Majid (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
Anxiety is that moment
after lightning strikes;
When the air still crackles
with the ghost of the flash
When the world holds itself
tight and still, waiting
For the inevitable roll of thunder
not knowing if it will be
A
rumble,
growl,
clap
or
BOOM
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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Title: Sunrise
Poet: Aisha Majid (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
The bright red orange of a Crayola crayon
Orange as fire bursting into flame
As a glowing traffic cone sweeping into view around
the corner
Orange as surprise bursting free from its wrappings
Passionfruit pink paling to rose –
Pink of a flamingo on one foot, wings spread for flight
And a slowly expanding bubblegum bubble
The soft shade of a shy smile
Pale lavender purple
Like lilac’s fresh perfume in the morning air
Highlight kissing the edges, the icy tinge hidden in a
waterfall
The color of the calming touch of meditation
Soft blue as a baby’s blanket
Clear blue as a tranquil mind
Dusky blue as blank notecards
Bright blue as ocean stretching to touch fingers with
sky
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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Title: The Drive-Through
Poet: Tyler Malone (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
To you, it is simply
a cement structure serving
food.
To me, it is the only constant truth
I know.
The Dairy Queen.
Your blizzards my Bible
and your honest calories counts,
your grilling and your chilling.
Perhaps the only Gospel
that I will ever know.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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Title: Pale to My Mother's Eyes
Poet: Nathaniel McNally (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
I’ve seen opal
attached to golden
strands that glisten
in a warm orange light.
I’ve seen diamonds
that rotate when the
gawkers circle them.
I’ve seen dollar bills
with the blue ribbon
that feel gloriously thin.
None of these views
compare to the sight
of pride in a dignified envelope.
I’ve seen shining streams
that flow effortlessly in
a peaceful sway.
I’ve seen crashing waves
that wither into sparkling bubbles
atop the clay shore.
None of the views
put a dollar in the jar
compared to the sight
of my mother’s eyes.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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| Title: To the Man Who Plays Trumpet to the Streetlight Outside My House
Poet: Brenda Mendez (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
To the man who plays trumpet to the streetlight
outside my house:
I’m sorry
that there are no audiences on the sidewalk,
that people try to look away from your mismatched
and torn shoes,
and that the train tracks don’t echo the way you want
them to.
To the man who plays trumpet to the streetlight
outside my house:
you are the brightest light in these dreary streets.
You make symphonies out of speeding luxury
cars
and standing ovations out of blank stares.
To the man who plays trumpet to the streetlight
outside my house:
it’s been cold.
Have you stayed warm?
Your winter concert hiatus has not gone unnoticed –
well, at least, not by me.
To the man who plays trumpet to the streetlight
outside my house:
you are the truth of this town.
You are ignored, I know.
I wonder if you’re hungry.
I wonder if you have a place to sleep.
But, in the timbre of your old trumpet,
I hear a fanfare of triumph over melancholy
and I know you haven’t lost hope.
You will give the world music
even if you have nothing else.
And it is the utmost honor
to hear.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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| Title: Where I'm From
Poet: Miller Newman (Commack High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
I am from LEGOs
From Rawlings and Mizuno
I am from the third house on the right
(Big, comforting, is smelled like meatloaf)
I am from the oak tree
The rose
Who helps those it chooses to
I’m from thanksgiving dinners and baseball trips
From mom and dad
And GG and Pop Pop
I’m from little league games
And Sunday morning at the diner
I am from the pavement on the street
From my mother’s stomach
I am from the menorah
The eternal flame
From Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria
Pizza and steak
From the ballpark
The game
I am from second base, shelves in my
grandparents' house
I am from generations of tradition and history
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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| Title: Grandmum
Poet: Amanda Tobin (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
You are the yellow sunflower in your garden,
the gold cross around your neck,
the yellow rims on your glasses,
the sun glistening above the horizon.
You are the purple tulips in your vase,
the fuzzy mauve sweater you wore every day,
the grapes in a bowl on the table,
the lavender charm around my neck.
You are the many blue shades in a Crayola box,
the Blue Willow table setting at rest in your china
cabinet,
the blue ocean on Montauk beach,
the irises around your urn.
You are the white clouds that drift overhead,
the white light of the full moon,
the white dandelion of young wishes,
the perfect white rose in my garden.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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| Title: New Beginnings
Poet: Ariana Weindling (Walt Whitman High School, Grade 12, Age 17)
Other Collaborators: AB Graphics (Placard Designer)
Year of Creation: 2018
Medium: Poem digitally printed on styrene placard
Approx. Dimensions (HxWxD): 11 x 24 in.
Description: Teen poem printed on styrene placards and displayed in the interior ad spaces of selected buses in the HART system.
Markings/Inscriptions:
It’s a new beginning.
Like writing on
a clean sheet of paper.
It’s walking out of a store
receipt in hand –
knowing you finally got
everything you wanted.
It’s looking up at the stars
realizing that all they ever promised
finally came true.
It’s that whiteout
letting you rid of all your past
mistakes.
It’s the camera flash going off
telling you that everything is picture perfect.
The yellow lines dividing the road
telling you to stay
just where you are.
It’s winning a poker game
feeling as lucky as
you’ve ever felt.
Street/Site Location: HART Bus System
Owner/Administrator: Town of Huntington (Public Art Initiative)
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