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literature
van Gogh, the Orient: A Lament
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Literature Text
When van Gogh lost his soul
to Japonisme,
'twas no bushy-eyed barbarian
babbling about bushido
that enthralled him, but
a docile geisha's pallid wrist,
pouring barbiturates
in his whisky –
a dominatrix
of cherry blossom
in his soul.
No wonder –
when van Gogh lost his mind
to a gunshot,
'twas no starry-eyed samurai
supplicating for seppuku
that pulled the trigger, but
a dying puppy's whimper,
storms of samsara hanging
by a whisker –
a decussation
of dead sunflowers
in his mind.
to Japonisme,
'twas no bushy-eyed barbarian
babbling about bushido
that enthralled him, but
a docile geisha's pallid wrist,
pouring barbiturates
in his whisky –
a dominatrix
of cherry blossom
in his soul.
No wonder –
when van Gogh lost his mind
to a gunshot,
'twas no starry-eyed samurai
supplicating for seppuku
that pulled the trigger, but
a dying puppy's whimper,
storms of samsara hanging
by a whisker –
a decussation
of dead sunflowers
in his mind.
full title: van Gogh and the Orient: A Lament
preview: The Blooming Plum Tree, van Gogh
his last words say it all, I think:
"La tristesse durera toujours" (the sadness will last forever)
I understand that this is not the most accessible of poems. I hadn't quite meant for it to turn out this way, but so it has, I suppose.
decussation: crossing over of nerve cells in the brain/spinal cord
A tribute to Vincent and all the Expressionists
I'm considering entering this in =bekkia's contest 'Down with Clichés': [link]
Thoughts/comments, please?
*edit* Thanks to
for her line-break suggestions!
preview: The Blooming Plum Tree, van Gogh
his last words say it all, I think:
"La tristesse durera toujours" (the sadness will last forever)
I understand that this is not the most accessible of poems. I hadn't quite meant for it to turn out this way, but so it has, I suppose.
decussation: crossing over of nerve cells in the brain/spinal cord
A tribute to Vincent and all the Expressionists
I'm considering entering this in =bekkia's contest 'Down with Clichés': [link]
Thoughts/comments, please?
*edit* Thanks to
for her line-break suggestions! © 2009 - 2024 Leurindal
Comments48
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Well done. I'm impressed. I love this poem for it's pregnant brevity and imagery.
You go into the artist's life after his love affair with Japanese prints: Van Gogh's paranoia about being poisoned, and his suicide. His madness. His images could be bold, tumultuous, even shocking (artistically, compared to the work of other artists at the time), but it was never bloody, violent, macho. I doubt I could describe the sublte point you make in the poem without writing and essay referencing many of his pieces. It's the lurking, twisted side of his insanity that comes through in his later work and gets him in the end.
I thought of Eliot too, because the similarity to the 'not with a bang but a whimper' ending. But I think your poem is also trying to convey the tenuousness of Van Gogh's hold on life in this line, "storms of samsara hanging
by a whisker –" Something very fragile was strong enough to make him pull the trigger, get up and go back to his rooms with a mortal wound.
You go into the artist's life after his love affair with Japanese prints: Van Gogh's paranoia about being poisoned, and his suicide. His madness. His images could be bold, tumultuous, even shocking (artistically, compared to the work of other artists at the time), but it was never bloody, violent, macho. I doubt I could describe the sublte point you make in the poem without writing and essay referencing many of his pieces. It's the lurking, twisted side of his insanity that comes through in his later work and gets him in the end.
I thought of Eliot too, because the similarity to the 'not with a bang but a whimper' ending. But I think your poem is also trying to convey the tenuousness of Van Gogh's hold on life in this line, "storms of samsara hanging
by a whisker –" Something very fragile was strong enough to make him pull the trigger, get up and go back to his rooms with a mortal wound.