Hermione Laake
Pink Shirt

Vesper. My boyfriend comes in from a day at the office. He’s wearing a tight pink shirt, screaming sex; except he’s quiet. He’s wearing those blue trousers; not too tight. They gently suggest that he walks and knows how to take care of himself.
He changes into an old dark green fleece, two sizes too big; underneath it a T-shirt in 1970s red is hanging out covered in old orange paint it doesn’t try to hide. None of the colours soothe. They clash in a loud din.
I wonder how long before I lose him.
About the writer:
Hermione Laake is an award-nominated writer, published emerging author and an associate of the Society of Authors. In 2012 she published her debut sequel to Jane Eyre, a novella cum short story, Betha’s Journal: A Perfect Immleman [n] sic Turn under her pen name, Hermione Wilds. In recent years, Laake has focused on writing short stories, four of which have been accepted for publication; her most recent work is “Consumption,” published with O:JA&L. Laake is reading for a Creative Writing MA, and is an Associate Editor and a Reader-in-Performance at OPEN:Journal of Arts & Letters. She lives in Bristol with her partner Vince. For proofreading see:Performance work:
Image: Don’t Take Me to Your Leader by Claude Chassagne. Mixed media: clay, oil, paper, wood, metal. 36 x 48 inches. No date specified. By permission.