Gauguin’s Chair

by Beth Vieira

Posted to Poetry on 2004-07-03 13:13:00

This is for you, you alone.
You see, I placed a candle
on your chair to remind you.

God is YELLOW!
Like my sunflowers.
Don’t you see it, Paul?
In the wheat fields.
But the crows.
Too many crows.
They blocked the sun.
The sun is yellow!

Get rid of those horrible reds
you picked up in Tahiti
like the syphilis and dark women
and childish symbolism and myths.
You and your poetry of primitives!
You have forgotten to paint
in the light. The son of light!

And I placed another candle
in the back to remind you.

Once I made a vow with Theo
that we should never part,
on Christmas Day,
when I was a boy,
and we made it
by candlelight,
a vow.

Now I have a visit, but no vow.
The Yellow House, OUR house.
And your room, your chair…
See how I set the yellows
near the purple and greens?
That’s from my color theory.
I used it in your portrait
under your eyes.
Can’t you see?
It’s all in the yellows, Paul.

I place a candle
in your chair to remind you.