Stefanie Bennett- A Poem

Stefanie Bennett has published several books of poetry, a novel and a libretto and her poems appear in Illya’s Honey, The Camel Saloon, Snow monkey, Shot Glass Journal, The Provo Canyon Review and others. Of mixed heritage [Irish/Italian/Paugussett-Shawnee] she was born in Qld., Australia in 1945. Stefanie’s latest poetry title “The Vanishing” 2015 was published by Walleah Press and is available from Walleah, Amazon and Fishpond Books.

 

 

 

BECOMING VINCENT    

 

I am becoming Vincent... I am

Only midway through

My writing season –, and

Already I address myself

To the nom de plume.

 

It seems strange.

It is strange.

Half alive, half dead.

Half word-impressionist

And half anyone’s slave.

 

Since I am half Vincent

  And he is half me –, he

Won’t mind if I speak of stars

  And sunflowers –, and

Bare-boarded rooms.

  I know he won’t mind...

He was someone with little

  To say... there was too much

Of the poet in him. He tried

  To ‘paint it out’.

 

I wrestle with the images. The gold

That polishes the sun. The gold

That belongs to a banished

Love. The gold belonging

To a lock of hair...

 

I tell you, he would have been

  A word giant! My God,

The co-ordinated language colour!

  The world missed out: badly.

As it was, it killed him with love.

  It killed him with hate.

He wasn’t  perfect enough

  Then. I can’t be

Perfect enough

  ... Now.

 

I wrestle with the word image.

The gold that engulfs

The treasure of our

                Shared despair:

The gold of too much caring:

                An empty

Coffer. An empty chair.

 

I am becoming Vincent... I live

In a bare-boarded room.

My brother sends me

                      Sunflowers!

The heavens send

                       More stars!

There’s no-one to talk to...

 

I make gestures. I cast out

Lines to

The Centaur’s light

And the wall’s

Stone ears.