FLOWER BLOSSOMS ON CANVAS

 (A tribute to Vincent Van Gogh)

 

The painting genius’s tortured soul

Found expression in myriad forms

On the celebrated canvases adorning

Art galleries, museums and private collections

Of wealthy art collectors all over the world

 

Grappling with his inner demons all his life

His immortal works gave expression

To the ongoing conflicts and torments

Ravaging his sensitive and passionate heart

His unwavering commitment to art

Forever triumphant over the unspoken terrors

Clouding his perceptive, tender and touchy mind

 

Capturing the brilliant sunshine on canvas,

The dazzling sunlight of Arles,

The eye-catching beauty of Provence,

Sunflowers, wheat fields, the study of human forms,

And the stars of the night with the melting moon—-

All came alive with his magical brush strokes

Even his dark brooding self-portraits with

Those expressive eyes like two incandescent

Blue fireballs, a  reflection of his agonized vision

 

Distracted constantly by worries, anxieties, doubts and fears

And, alarmingly, showing signs of lunacy

You died so young, O Artist among artists!

Yet you live on through your deathless art

And forever fill us with awe and wonder

Confounding art critics, art lovers, connoisseurs

And laymen with your mind-boggling creations

That will continue to inspire generations

Of artists to take up the easel, brush and colors

And leave their marks on canvases

With their many-splendored creations

 

Subhojit Kar, aged 56, holds a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur (1990). He worked at BEL in Bangalore and Kolkata from 1990 to 2004 and mentored high school students in Physics and Maths for engineering entrance exams, including IITJEE, until 2021. Currently, he is a content writer for an environmental NGO based in Pune. Subhojit has been actively engaged in creative writing for over 35 years, with his poetry featured in The Sunday Telegraph, The Literary Supplement of The Economic Times, Poetry Today, Poemhunter.com, and Poetry.com. He is the author of two novels: Song On The Nowhere Road (Amazon Kindle and Bluerose Publishers, 2020) and The Fault Lines (Bookstreet Publications, 2022). Subhojit enjoys reading, listening to music, and watching sports. He resides in Kolkata with his family.

 

Email: subhosanc@gmail.com

Address: Subhojit Kar

Golf Green, Phase IVA W2A(R) 5/1

Kolkata 700095