This painting was my attempt to make a copy of Vincent's "Wheat field With Crows," for a "Forgery Art Show" here on the Island a few years ago.  The accompanying poem references Wallace Steven's "13 Ways of Looking at a Black bird."

13 Other Ways Of Looking At a Black Bird.  Daniel Imburgia  (Way one:  Through Vincent's Wheat Field with Crows)

I.
The crow as knowing
Growing in the sky-scape
Racing the storm among
Double moon swarms

II.
Only these crows can testify
To why Vincent was murdered
In a wheat-field where miraculously
Un-healed he survived

III.
Wounded by lead-gray grieving
Bleeding Cochineal lake
Vermillion contrasted against
Vandyck brown and smalt viridian

IV
Invisible to all but he
Three advents direct his fall
Cawed by the 57 black birds
Inscribed in his final canvas

V.
Experts accuse the Jesuit crows
Rose in fear and fled from
Vincent as he erected his
Easel and gauged perspective

VI.
But hearing the shot and cry
Why would darkness flee
He whose deprivation and lack
Exposed only more mystery

VII.
Field, sky, birds, roads,
Chose this pilgrim pigment
Instead of chrome stars Umber
Gashes in murderous constellations

VIII.
Rising ochred tears of grain
Strain to fly among the swirl of
Blue rosettes without a why
Bend, break, fall, and die

IX.
The sower scattering his seed
Heeds the internal coming to be
Shakes each kernel from its husk
Un-forsaken by eternity

X.
The work of being world and making
Breaking earth in old peasant's shoes
The slow bleeding-out day to day
Unconcealing our mortal clay

XI.
Come we have upon the altar
Slaughter, bread, psalter
Cowled priests and bells
Spells, water, wine, blood

XII.
Conjured winged tricksters rise
Disguised from his unrepentant palette
Spectres snatching tatters and dregs
God's self-portrait hued by saudade

XIII.
The artist seeks with naked heart
Not apart but inhabiting the wheat-field
A scare-crow clothed with scraps
Of grace and ragged love

Blessings and obliged.