Vincent Van Gogh 31 - Is There A God? Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

All along, a doubt nagged and kept gnawing
Deep inside the psyche of Vincent,
Even during the period of his learning
To become a priest or a preacher.
Is there a God? If God really existed,
Where was God, when he needed him most?
His attempt to become a priest
Had become a complete disaster!
His experience with miners had taught him
That only misery and suffering existed!

Vincent was twenty six years old now
And life had taught him harsh lessons.
His five attempts to become something
In life, had become a total failure.
He had no idea as to how he would
Restart his life with no job or no money.
Starvation for many days had caused
Severe weakness of body, clarity of mind.
His vision was blurred, blocked.
Vincent felt cold. His core being had collapsed!

Madam Denis welcomed Vincent back to her place.
She was a very kind lady. She gave him soap
To wash, scrub and clean himself.
She gave her husband's garments for him to wear.
Vincent shaved himself neatly, wondering how
So many bones stuck out of his face and body.
After many days, Vincent dressed up decently,
Then, went down to the bakery kitchen for a meal
With the generous Denises. He ate the warm meal
Though he felt a strange taste in his mouth.

How could he ever regain his enthusiasm?
Vincent was forbidden to preach any further.
He stopped interacting with the miners,
He rarely spoke or visited their huts again.
The miners never questioned his silence
Nor did they miss his sermons.
Life continued in Borinage like before
With no blames or condemnation.
The miners understood the situation
And accepted the change with an air of calmness.

A Biographical Poem!