Vincent Van Gogh 40 - All That Mattered Was His Art Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

Vincent did not write to his father or to his brother Theo
Of what he was doing presently in this miner's town.
Theo had not written to him for a whole year.
His family was very upset with him.
If he wrote to them that he had started sketching again,
They would think that it was one of his fanciful fads,
And would remark, how he was wasting his life
Doing nothing or contributing anything useful to the society.

Vincent continued to live a life of his own choice,
But he was always depended on his father for funds.
He knew he should be ashamed of himself.
He was a full-grown man and needed to earn his own bread.
But he had sincerely tried many things in the past,
Unfortunately, all his attempts failed miserably.
Now, he had reached a stage when he was not bothered
About anything or anybody. All that mattered was his art!

Vincent wanted to spend all his time sketching the miners.
There was so much of depth, sincerity and character in them.
These miners became Vincent's super models.
He entered the miner's huts once again,
But not as a preacher carrying a Bible in his hand,
But instead, he carried drawing paper and crayon with him.
He sketched the children, wives, the whole family, the tall chimneys,
The black fields, pine woods, peasants and everything in Marcasse.

The miners were no different to Vincent.
They cordially welcomed him into their huts.
They accepted his decision, transformation
From a preacher to an artiste,
Without any kind of astonishment.
They remained unaffected by his new pursuit.
Vincent mingled with miners and painted them
While they toiled, worked relentlessly day and night.

A Biographical Poem