Wendy Cope: "The Orange"

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I got a half.

And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It's new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I'm glad I exist.



"The Orange" by Wendy Cope. Text as published in Serious Concerns (Faber & Faber, 1993).

Art credit: Untitled image by unknown photographer.