Sunflowers by Penn Kemp

Sunflowers, by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889.

Sunflowers
(after Van Gogh)
 
The sun spoke in his ear
wheeling fire.
 
The sun grinned in his face
breaking cheek bones.
Taut skin gave.
 
The sun stroked his head
his yellowing hair.
 
His cranium bleached all
summer long before
sprouting tiny
white fibres.
 
Fed by waterblue eyes
the roots matted, mapped
new links to earth.
 
Succulent, adapted to
the erratic  impossible
union.  Water and fire.
 
Pushing up
Sunflowers
 
 Penn Kemp

An earlier version of this poem appears in Penn Kemp's book, Travelling Light.

London ON performance poet, activist and playwright Penn Kemp is the 40th Life Member of the League of Canadian Poets and their 2015 Spoken Word Artist of the Year. As Writer-in-Residence for Western University, her project was the DVD, Luminous Entrance: a Sound Opera for Climate Change Action, Pendas Productions. Her latest works are two anthologies for the Feminist Caucus Archives of the League of Canadian Poets and the Guild of Canadian Playwrights, to be launched at the Writers’ Summit at Harbourfront in June. Forthcoming is a new collection of poetry, Barbaric Cultural Practice and a play, The Triumph of Teresa Harris. www.mytown.ca/pennkemp