Life, Irritation, and Inspiration by Wil Hough
Often just the pain of living is enough to inspire poetry, a short story, or even a novel. All it takes is an allegorical mind. One such example occurred as I was removing wallpaper. To my horror (or disgust), I found each layer that I stripped off revealed another underneath, even unto several layers. It was amazing what people had put upon their walls. There were heavy florals reminiscent of the 1940s, silly scenes of fat bathers and toileted children, Shakespearian actors complete with quotations, and even stripes redolent of the feel of prison bars. Uncertainty as to what each layer might yet hide was so frustrating it reminded me of my own struggles solving life’s multifaceted problems. To regain control of my emotions, I resorted to a time tested practice; I sat down and put the issue to verse. The resultant poem ushered forth in a stream of consciousness primal scream from the tangled mass of gucky paste, soggy debris and crumbling plaster:
Papered
Too long
we've put up with this
wallpaper - inked potted vines of squid like tentacles
sucking lights, leaving indigo
hues justified by gold braided overleaf.
All around, patches of acceptance
belie stress cracks of agendi;
oppressed fingers tear
at seams, bring little
yield for effort. Multiple
layers of ageless cover-ups
reveal Victorian toilet scenes
and Gargoyle leers of social glue.
Through haunting nursery rhyme taunts,
we dig through pastoral Monet
delusions, long since paved over
and stained
with whoredoms of trafficking.
Ageless bars of gold and silver
resist further efforts
at freedom within
this American dream. The nightmare
proves too tenacious,
a lifetime's redecoration resists:
Mayhaps we should simply paper over
this mess with yet another surrender, or
better yet, remove the walls
altogether?
Yeah, forget about struggling with layers of wallpaper and rip down the walls altogether. Toss out the old and rebuild anew with fresh ideas. Can you not see the metaphorical possibilities? The plot lines are unlimited. Picture a middle aged couple, though there are no age restrictions on frustration, struggling with life and love and the stupid wallpaper. Suddenly…well, the rest is up to you. Begin with an allegory and go from there. Parallels can be found just about anywhere. Weed control, auto repair, office politics, even the struggle to find quality writing time can provide inspiration. So, just DO it!
Wil Hough is Poetry Editor and Graphics Editor for Rose & Thorn Journal.
Thanks for sharing! This reminds me of an Oscar Wilde anecdote--supposedly as he lay dying, staring at some really ugly wallpaper, he said, "Either the wallpaper goes, or I go." Clearly the wallpaper won.
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