van gogh

vain vanilla ladies strutting

while van Gogh did it to

himself

girls pulling on silk

hose

while van Gogh did it to

himself

in the field man

unkissed, and

worse.

I pass him on the street:

“how’s it going, Van?”

“I dunno, man,” he says

and walks on.

there is a blast of color:

one more creature

dizzy with love.

he said,

then,

I want to leave.

and they look at his paintings

and love him

now.

for that kind of love

he did the right

thing

as for the other kind of love

it never arrived.