APOGEE Poet

Join a daily celebration of poetry and the arts. This blog gives voice to the academics, the arts, creativity, expression and the pursuit of TRUTH. All art forms, all academic interests are timeless reflections and revelations of the human condition. Passion, poetry and the arts fuel the creative fires that move me to expression and deep gratitude. My published book of poems, THE WIND AND THE WILLOW is available at Barnes and Noble and online booksellers nationally and internationally.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

And for your namesake... Vincent You Paint

Tree branches ablaze with almond blossoms of white
Hold they to the joy of Spring in its splendor of light
This blooming array of life new vibrant and so very real
Known be such glory this heart shall not conceal
Delicate and whimsical these blooms of flowers be
Vincent you paint upon canvas and known is Spring's decree.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Blossoming Almond Tree, Oil on canvas, Saint-Rémy, February 1890, Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890, Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam

On January 31, 1890, Theo wrote to Vincent of the birth of his son, whom he had named Vincent Willem. Van Gogh, who was extremely close to his younger brother, immediately set about making a painting of his favorite subject: blossoming branches against a blue sky. As a symbol of this new life, Vincent chose an almond tree, which blooms early in southern regions, announcing the coming spring as early as February.