Vincent Van Gogh 27 - Brave The Storm Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

Life is like a boat,
It appears to move calmly in serene lake.
That's when you feel
Like a swan moving in tranquil water.
But then, a sudden storm in your life
Can completely change
Your outlook,
Your mood,
your emotion,
Your situation
The course of your life too!
However valiant, you begin to fear
Whether you will brave or survive
The terrible storm!

The situation in Marcasse was like a storm.
Vincent became despondent.
He could not bear to see the miners coughing,
Staggering their way home battling the freezing wind,
The icy earth, hitting, biting their bodies with fierceness.
Vincent pulled out all his clothes.
He had five shirts, three suits of underwear,
Four pairs of socks, two pairs of shoes and an extra coat.
He rushed to the shivering miners and distributed them.
When the February salary arrived, he spent it all
For food and medicine for the miserable miners.
Vincent was left with hardly anything.
He starved, became thin and emaciated. But he still
Ran around with fever, hollow cheeks and a shrunken body.

The situation worsened,
When the oldest child of Decrucq became ill with typhoid.
They had only two beds, which the parents shared.
If the children were put on floor, they would develop pneumonia.
Vincent decided to carry the sick child to his shack and lay him on his bed.
Decrucq, though tired and ill, just followed Vincent dragging his injured leg,
Vincent transferred the child to his bed and nursed him.
Later, he went to the Denises' to request for some straw to sleep on.
He had no bed or blanket for himself. Madam Denis was aghast.
She offered him his room, free of cost. But Vincent refused.
Vincent was cold, shivering and completely worn out.
He was hungry, delirious with fever with awkward mannerisms.
Yet, he stuck to his objective of collective service to the community.
A rare story of exemplary service to people.

A Biographical Poem!