Nazia Sultan Poet Ekphrasis

Before the World Called It Genius

Header Note
Sponsor Name: Silent One  
Painting Name: The Starry Night  
Artist Name: Vincent van Gogh  
Painted Year: June 1889  
Submitted Date: 8 July 2026  
        


           Before the World Called It Genius

On the moon eclipse night  
when everything went dark and horrified  
I fell into a strange dream  
Time tore open and I was in 1889  

There he sat  
Van Gogh in the backyard  
alone with a white canvas and the night  

With one stroke he dragged anxiety  
with the next hope  
with the third wonder and loneliness  
all swirling together  

Huge stars turned on the canvas  
a bright crescent moon bled light  
a galaxy spun like water  
like fire  
The sky did not hang  
The sky lived  

Below it a quiet sleeping village  
A church steeple pointing up  
silent as his sadness  
silent as his grief  
One small village  
under an infinite sky  
like a desert that grows  
one Evening Primrose of hope  
after years  

Then the cypress tree  
dark a flame touching earth to sky  
His struggling life grew from the ground  
and burned toward the stars  
Bold colors  
Thick brushstrokes  
His pain his grief his loneliness  
all poured onto white canvas  

I watched his hands move  
A masterpiece born in front of me  
He could not see what we would see  

After his death  
the world finally looked up  
They saw the swirls and called them genius  
They saw the night and called it holy  
They saw him  

And me  
I was just a witness on an eclipse night  
time traveling into 1889  
to feel the painting  
while it was still being painted

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Silent One July 29, 2026 at 2:37 PM A lot of people wrote about this painting and you have written a great poem also.. Congratulations on your placement in the contest.. Nazia Sultan July 30, 2026 at 12:07 AM Thanks silent one for kind appreciation:)

Christuraj Alex July 8, 2026 at 1:01 AM Wonderful work on Vincent van Gogh. Nazia Sultan July 8, 2026 at 2:42 AM Thanks alot chrisuraj Alex for your apprection Nazia Sultan July 8, 2026 at 2:41 AM This poem is a small tribute to that genius artist who was only recognized by the world after his death. Out of 900 paintings he made in his life, only 1 was sold. I can feel his pain, grief, and disappointment. I wanted to highlight his painful journey and the beauty he poured onto canvas even while suffering. I wrote it as a fusion of imagination and realistic story, using symbols blended with realism.