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In this new poem, Lesley Burt explores the work of Van Gogh, discovering in it the possibility of a world ‘unclaimed by names’.

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There are those who see beyond the weight
of spires, buttresses and hymns; hassocks,
gravestones, grey shadows, damp crypts, cobwebs;

more than seasons’ rhythms: rain on fields,
nuances of green: grapes, olives, the heat and chatter
of harvest’s casks, baskets, wilting basil and oregano;

to a universe where trees, seas, creatures are, as yet,
unclaimed by names; they see how earth rolls inside –
not underneath – a swirling sky.

 

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Lesley Burt’s poetry has been published widely including in: Tears in the Fence, The Interpreter’s House, Sarasvati, Reach, Dawntreader, Prole and The Butchers Dog; also online, including Poetry Kit, Long Exposure, The Poetry Shed, Algebra of Owls, Strange Poetry, Three Drops from a Cauldron and Ink, Sweat and Tears.