He Wanted Stark She Wanted Color

He wanted stark, she wanted mess.
Bareness irritated her, he insisted on no paintings.
He loved their boring black and white life.
She wanted color, pizazz, flair.  He did not.

But wait, she lived here too, right?
She dragged in an orange vase and a turquoise box.
Tiny, unnoticeable items, placed them on the mantle.
They were gone by the time she returned from work the next day.
They did not fit in with our décor, she was told sternly.
She knew better than to insist, for he was a pouting man.

He was into minimalism. She was into pretty.
He did not want children, for they are messy. She did, but kept this her secret.
Not wanting him to become angry with her.
He threw out her bed pillow once because it had a hair on it.
It had been her favorite pillow since childhood; he did not care.

She thought about the colors that she wanted, she dreamed of the paintings on her walls.
She could think of nothing else as they ate their black and white foods, the ones he approved.
She could focus on nothing else. Giving up her friends had felt okay at the time.
Eliminating her family ties had made sense to her, for he had insisted, and she loved him, right?

One day she brought home a red lamp.  It was pitched into the snow.
She started walking toward him and could not stop. “It’s my turn!” she yelled. She could not stop.
“My turn! My turn! My turn!”  She pushed him out the door.
Minimalism had never felt so good.

Written: 12-17-2018     Contest:  Minimalism Poetry Contest     
 Sponsor:  Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer
Copyright © | Year Posted 2018

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Rose  Avatar
December 18, 2018 at 4:54 AM
OMG I think I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. This may be in excess but every item he threw away made my heart cave, Glad she got rid of him. One cannot love in a straight jacket, I say Amen to colors, and acceptance of differences. Love xo
Krutsinger Avatar
December 18, 2018 at 5:55 AM
I was once married to a man who did not like my striped dress of many colors that I loved the most. He wanted to dress me down in drab - browns and grays and blacks, to subdue me, and maybe hide my lights. I had to re-teach him and I am still with him, but he is a different man now.
Chan Avatar
December 18, 2018 at 1:40 AM
The compromises we all make to live with another person. I like the way this one builds up. Very nice read, Caren :)
Krutsinger Avatar
December 18, 2018 at 5:55 AM
Thank you Bernard. When you kind of have "lived it" you get it. Although I was yelling "My turn!" for over two hours, and could not stop.
Kiser Avatar
December 17, 2018 at 9:06 PM
Ha! I'll bit it didn't...sweet revenge...good one.
Krutsinger Avatar
December 18, 2018 at 5:56 AM
Thank you M.L. If you knew how close to the truth this was, you would be really surprised. Knowing me like you do.
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