Portrait of Dr. Gachet + two more
NATHALIE M
Portrait of Dr. Gachet, painted by Vincent Van Gogh
A straw nose
struck by wanderlust,
ventures from the concerned brow.
Dr. Gachet, did you mind sitting long enough
For the painter to paint? The pedestrians
pattered by, those Parisians
with prim shoes and prim shadows, and still
you sat still,
considering your considerer as he condensed
that wandering beak in sad, staccato strokes
of ochre and oxidized bronze.
buttons down your front;
eyes in your head.
Consolation:
at least you’ve been noticed, yellows and seasick greens, in a canvas the same cotton as your coat.
Barren Renga
Evergreen peaks
pierce oyster
grey clouds
No trees in sight
a stripped wasteland
Lightning white paper
barren of words
crumpled in rage
Empty mind
Empty hands
Grasping at passing
smiles, the beautiful
things escape
How sad that the sun must set
at least the moon will rise soon
Haiku
winter moon
pearl lost from its strand
veiled in cloud
I wonder what
the clam thinks as he drops
to boiling water?
and in their eyes,
the fire that turned us all around
back to eternity
here we are at desire’s
end, waiting for enlightenment
to claim us.
hope quells your colors
quiets my eyes, enough to silence tears
and close our prayers.
What do
he beautiful things think
when they sigh?
caught between two
mirrors, on and on and on
wide-eyed.
road sign, dead end
dead end, turn left, road block,
another.
maybe tomorrow,
when the world is done and gone,
we’ll go swimming.
About the Author
Nathalie M. is a rising sophomore at Lakeside Upper School in Seattle, Washington. She loves living in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys getting out onto its beautiful lakes. Nathalie is an avid reader and has great respect for Plath, Murakami, PDK, Hurston, and Vonnegut.
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