Vincent Van Gogh 67 - " No, Never, Never! " Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

When Kay ran away in haste, once again,
It was Vincent's turn to be stunned.
He called out her name several times,
But then, he realized, it was of no avail,
Kay had gained the road and had disappeared.
He stood in the same position for a long time.
Then, picked up his paintings from the sand,
Collected the food basket, strapped them all together,
And trudged back home, quite weary and exhausted.

The scenario at home was tense.
Kay had locked herself in her room with her son.
Vincent's parents looked very upset.
The moment Vincent entered the house
His father looked at him with fiery eyes.
'Vincent, how could you? ' wailed his mother
'How could I what' asked Vincent.
'Insult your cousin that way! ' retorted his mother.
Vincent had no answer for that. He just kept quiet.

Vincent's father who was livid with anger,
Broke his stern silence. He said;
'She told us that you threw your arms about her
And raved like a madman.'
Vincent replied calmly: 'I told her, I loved her.
I don't quite see that's an insult.
I asked her to be my wife.'
'Your wife? ' roared his father.
His mother cried out: ' Oh! Vincent, Vincent,
How could you even think of such a thing? '

Vincent's father Theodorus, could not control himself.
He shouted: 'You cannot marry your first cousin
That would be……………….incest! '
'That is sheer non-sense, Father': shot back Vincent,
'And completely unworthy of you.'
His father continued: ' I tell you it would be an incest.
I won't allow that sinful relation in the Van Gogh family.'
' I hope, you don't think you are quoting the Bible, Father!
Cousins have always allowed to marry.'

The shocked parents continued to assert
And told Vincent in no uncertain terms,
That his action was hasty, inappropriate,
Indelicate, immature and very, very wrong.
Back in his room, Vincent was totally disturbed.
He kept muttering to himself: 'What have I done! '
Much more than his parent's reprimanding words,
What shocked and hurt him most, were the words
Of Kay. 'No, never, never! '

Spoken words are like sharp arrows.
They can bite, sting and penetrate.
When words penetrate through the heart,
It goes deep down, down, down,
Into the layers of your inner being,
Never to be forgotten or erased,
They remain alive like a wounded scar!
For Vincent, the words 'No, never, never'
Invaded his soul like a sharp wound.'

Biographical Poem