The Walls Glare Too White Poem by Louise Tredoux

Will our inveterate seaman like the material
I have chosen with so much care? Will he
approve of the changes to our “humble
abode”? What if he’s angry, if he hates
the new duvet, what if the walls glare
too white and pristine for him?

I can’t stay around, plagued by negative
fantasies, rather accompany Juliette’s mom
to the market today, stock up on fresh fruit
and vegetables; go down to the beach to
watch sea-gulls flying ever-widening circles
overhead, like my own fears

Proliferating in ever-widening ripples in my
head, I wish I could warn Rudi to make sure
the surprise is not too unexpected - to his
chagrin and my own detriment, now I fear
his home-coming as much as I used to look
forward to it…