A leaking gas pipe and the front of a modest
terraced home collapsed exposing the interior
of a private space to the world and I, for one,
could not stop looking.
In the living room hung a seascape painted by
an artistic uncle, the sea looked frozen and
large waves appeared as snowdrifts. Yet
the painting was overshadowed by light brown
wallpaper with huge sunflowers.
The same paper was used in the two bedrooms
except in the bathroom that had yellow
ducks on pink background.
Passersby averted their stare, truth can be so
intrusive, we don’t really like to know that
much about other people (except their sex life)
workmen came and covered the damage with
tarpaulin, it was my house and I had lost my
last illusion but took comfort in the fact that
it was my wife that had chosen the wallpaper
in the bathroom.
