Vincent Van Gogh 75 - The Pain Of Loneliness Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

Vincent wrote to his brother Theo,
'Believe me, in things of art the saying is true:
Honesty is the best policy; rather more trouble on
A serious study than a kind of ‘chic' to flatter the public.
Sometimes, in moments of worry, I have longed
For some of that chic, but thinking it over I say:
No, oh, let me be true to myself, and in a rough manner
express severe, rough, but true things.'

That was one of sparkling traits of Vincent,
To speak the truth always straight on the face
And to reveal his true self to whomever he met.
Unfortunately, that was not appreciated by many.
He had no close friends who understood him well.
He could manage without food or drink,
But he could never get over the fact
That his love life was dark and empty!

Whenever Vincent thought of Reverend Stricker
A chill ran through his spine.
A raw pain gripped him of insults and rejections.
He could manage the pain of starvation
But could not bear a life of loneliness.
That's when he ran out of his house
To a wine café near Ryn station.
May be a glass of wine would ease his pain!

In the café, Vincent saw a woman
Seated all alone. Perhaps, a lonely soul like him!
He invited her to have a drink with him.
She relented and they introduced each other.
The woman was Christine, a laundress, but admitted
Unabashedly, that she was a woman of the streets.
She had five children, all of them from strangers
And was now pregnant with the sixth child.

Christine was neither young or beautiful,
She had a weary, washed-out look.
Her fingers were not dainty like Kay's fingers
But had she had strong hands that had toiled much.
She seemed spirited in spite of her sad look.
Vincent spent the night with her in her apartment,
When he got up next morning, he found that his pain
Of loneliness was gone, instead, he was relaxed and peaceful.

A Biographical Poem