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| "Starry Night Over the Rhone" by Vincent Van Gogh (Wikipedia) |
Even after all these years,
I cannot listen to this song
without tears.
I remember waiting in line for hours
to see an exhibit of paintings by you, Vincent,
and at the end, in the last room,
we stood silent,
for there was nothing to say
before or after or since:
Your paintings in a museum,
your letters preserved,
your anguish even now
barely understood.
Yet this song celebrates it all:
paintings, letters, anguish,
for all those who
make some thing beautiful,
for all those who have eyes to see.
"Vincent" by Don McLean
Slideshow by Anthony di Fatta
To
read what others have written:
NaPoWriMo at http://www.napowrimo.net/participants-sites/
A-Z Challenge at http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html
NaPoWriMo at http://www.napowrimo.net/participants-sites/
A-Z Challenge at http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html
This is a great tribute to a painter, his paintings, and a song that gives me chills every time I hear it. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteA lovely paean for one of my favorite artistss by one of my favorite singlers and a lady who is fast becoming one of my favorite poets.
ReplyDeleteWhat is even sadder about this is that he wasn't appreciated for his paintings while he was alive, that he never saw how valuable or benefited from his paintings being sold. Why is it the really great painter/artists of our time only became successful after death? Lovely poem and tribute to an amazing artist.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I love your Crow/Raven! It is a bird that shows up in my life often. I think it is one of my totems. :)
DeleteMorgan, I really did stand in the rain for three hours in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, to see Van Gogh's paintings, partly for the reasons summarized here. The raven is also special because of the tales I've read from Native American lore. The photo comes from a day trip to Stirling Castle in Scotland. Those birds are highly intelligent -- they remember people! Have you read "Gifts of the Crow"?
DeleteBeautiful, Beth. This line struck me: "...for all those who
ReplyDeletemake some thing beautiful," because it speaks to me of everyone having the ability to create beauty in all different ways.
Thank you.
xoA
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts about Van Gogh, an artist who has been inspirational all my life. That song by Don McLean is a poem, truly. Yesterday I didn't think I could write at all, and then late, somewhere I saw a poetry challenge to write about stars, maybe to celebrate Earth Day, and so this vision of Van Gogh's paintings came. Your comments humble me.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, Beth.
ReplyDeleteI love his work and your love for him is evident here. Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Beth. Great tribute to the artist, and a great read for all who try to express their creativity through the arts.
ReplyDeleteSilvia @ Silvia Writes
Like you, I am a fan of Van Gogh and Don McLean, both artists and poets in their own ways. Your poem gives us both in one, which is absolutely stunning, Beth. It is one to which I will return.
ReplyDeleteKM