By John Silverton
In London’s Piccadilly I met a man I know
His money spent but beaming a satisfied glow,
For tucked under his coat a picture did cower
With bright yellow colours of a single sunflower.
He eagerly confessed to having found a bargain,
This painted flower seen in many a common garden,
And when I asked how he could be so sure,
He showed me Vincent Van Gogh’s signature.
And said:
‘The dealer didn’t know what a prize he had here,
But I saw the blood from Van Gogh’s severed ear;
Look, these brown stains in the corner, you see?’
I did, but in truth, they looked more like spilt tea.
In stating his claim he was somewhat reliant
Upon a mysterious reading by a gypsy clairvoyant.
Who said:
‘I see yellow flowers, large blooms come to mind,
The pattern on a dress? Or a painting of some kind?’
By chance, months later, we met in Park Lane,
‘Tell me, that painting, how much did you gain?’
‘A worthless copy, the art expert did scoff,
Probably painted by a student of Van Gogh.’
‘For this missed fortune he charged a steep fee,
So to cheer myself up I went to the Ritz for high tea.
And there I met her, wearing a bright yellow dress
With a sunflower motif designed to impress.’
‘And impress it did, it was love at first sight,
We chatted and flirted well into the night.
A few weeks later I lay in her arms
On our honeymoon island of sun, sand and palms.’
‘So I’m beholden to Van Gogh for severing his ear
That led me to the painting and my wife so dear.
Author Bio:
John Silverton is the author of A Pearl Amongst Oysters, a passionate suspenseful interracial romance spanning fifty years and two continents, available in paperback from Amazon Books.
A collection of short stories will be published later this year. John is twice winner of the Anderida Writers short story competition, 2024 and 2026. A second novel, a crime thriller set in the art market, will be published in 2027.
Contact Author:
Email: johnsilverton@hotmail.co.uk
