Van Gogh Seen Sideways Or From Great Distances, Abstracted, Influenced By Kabakov

to understand the founding of the sun
the enigma of clouds in their various 
dispositions of rose

there arose one
who had within himself
the reality of sunflowers

who burst upon the page
in saffron
who faded as the day fades.

as the day fades,
I think on my porch
my invisible wrap around porch

of him, while drinking my tea with mint;
not him exactly,
but the way that he saw clouds, 

the cloudiness in his work and in his stars
if, indeed, that may be called his;
maybe, for a little while, on loan

that comes and goes
that flows out windows
through the poplars

and into the green Beyond
into the green beyond
where the railing is
and its description.

mary angela douglas 25 may 2019