Van Gogh’s “Almond Blossoms” is a tree felled

by lightning.

I tried, twice, to paint this, 
we all want to chew a corner 
of this big thing he made, say, 
keep us alive, turquoise sky. 

Weeks before the bullet, all he painted was pink 
joy. A woman steps over scorched branches
to lay a wreath for the patron saint of paper birds. 
Three boys tear bread for pigeons. The almond blossoms 
are rubbed white by years of light

in every place. Tourists pocket their maps 
to watch children be swallowed by bubbles. •

Adaptation of “Almond Blossoms” by Maaike VanderMeer.

P.S. Did you like this? I wrote about van Gogh’s art earlier this year. Check it out:

How I want the stuttering girl in the rain to own the name 'artist'