Van Gogh's Barber Tells The Story Poem by Kyle Schlicher

innocent bowl of fruit

on a wooden table

beside the empty
bottles
of
wine.

open window
looking out
onto
the arles landscape,

mirror on the wall
smashed
in
pieces

bloody washstand
with
a dirty wash cloth,

torment
filling the basin.

easel
standing alone,
razor
dripping
a beautiful red
on
the palette.

seurat
whispers to
gauguin,

'true genius lives herein! '

pisarro
nods
in
agreement,

adding
'but, how it soon bleeds out'

from a distant field
of sunflowers
comes the unending
crazed screams
of a madman
on the loose
with
nothing
left
to
paint.

(9-07-2015)