Maybe as a kid Vincent had ruddy cheeks;
God knows he never painted himself
that way. Nothing in his self-portraits
says “See how electric and spunky I am!”
But when he turned those green eyes
on the world, then everything crackled:
leaves and lamps and streets and stars,
even grapes lemons pears and apples.
So I’m glad for the pert yellow ears poking
up through that grey felt hat. I’m pleased
with the playful little smirk on its pudgy face.
I’m even okay with the round, dewy eyes,
lit and bright as his must have been before
he knew how hungry he’d be, how poor.

Matthew Murrey is the author of Bulletproof (Jacar Press,  2019) and the forthcoming collection, Little Joy (Cornerstone Press,  2026). Recent poems can be found in The Ekphrastic Review, Roanoke  Review, ballast, and elsewhere. He was a public school librarian for 21  years, and lives in Urbana, IL with his partner. His website is at www.matthewmurrey.net, and can be found on Twitter, Instagram and – sometimes – Bluesky under the handle @mytwords.