In my early adolescence I was deeply moved by the powerful writings of Richard Wright. It was difficult to imagine that anyone who read his novel Native Son or memoir Black Boy would not be enraged by his depictions of America’s racial injustice. But I didn’t know that Wright also wrote poetry, including thousands of works of haiku. Seeing Into Tomorrow is a wonderful project in Brooklyn, New York that is transforming works by Richard Wright into poetry murals.

Wright spent the two years of his life writing more than 4,000 works of haiku. The author’s 17-syllable poem are surprisingly hopeful and uplifting.

Seeing Into Tomorrow was designed by Doyle Partners  for the Poetry Society of America. The multi-site installation invites viewers to travel through the neighborhoods of Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene to discover this lesser known side of one of America’s greatest authors. The mural sites range from the Fulton Mall shopping district to cultural landmark to small stores at the NYCHA Whitman Houses. You can use the map below to visit all the sites.

In the coming weeks,more poems will be added to the project, including haikus on 38 Big Belly recycling bins such as the one below.