Poetry Friday: The Orange

I’ve enjoyed many of Wendy Cope’s poems. This one is a favourite, and feels especially right at the moment. When I have a terrifying To-Do list, it helps to remember that simple, daily pleasures matter a lot and sometimes restore perspective.

The Orange – by Wendy Cope

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 had 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 my jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.

From the Poetry Out Loud site.

(photo © Darren Hester for openphoto.net CC:Attribution-NonCommercial)