HANGING WALLPAPER NAKED

Sat peacefully in his much treasured rocker down at the bottom of the garden
his crony, an unkempt slow worm the tom cat had tortured basking at his side
he chose with eyes wide open to stare intently at the fiery edges of a remorseless high noon sun

An hour or so earlier he had been indoors doing this and that before stumbling
upon her in one of the bedrooms, she up a ladder, au naturel and hanging wallpaper

“Why no clothes?”
 
Startled she dropped the paste brush, said ‘bollocks’ climbed down and
with hands on bare skinned hips, head caustically lopsided, “Oh all my old togs are in the wash. Got them dirty gardening.”
 
“Have you no others to wear then?”
 
“You know full well I have, it’s just that I don’t want to ruin my good stuff decorating.”

That he paused, watched and savoured for more than a moment understandable, more so because
by the time she stumbled upon him
it was much too late, she had missed the boat
the damage had already been done

“They’ve cut down the hedgerows and the sparrows have left en masse. I sense the old buzzard died a thousand deaths when he saw that…nothing left to clutch in those crumbling claws of his…nothing left to feed the kids. Crying shame really. It’s all over now. I’ve seen enough.”
 
“You really are a batty old fool you know! Now this! So what, you’re disillusioned with the world I know but is that really worth blinding yourself over?”
 
With circumspect manicured hand on a neatly shaven chin he merely nodded a contrite affirmative aware that henceforth he would have no use for a mirror

She retired hurt shedding a tear he would never see

The aficionado and his cicerone,
Together they had journeyed far and wide,
She would always seek out the unvarnished truth,
The other one adrift without her at his side