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 …