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.

---

Wendy Cope

Wendy Cope is a celebrated contemporary English poet known for her witty, humorous, and sharply observed verse. She was born in 1945 and raised in Kent, England where her parents often recited poetry. She studied history at Oxford University and worked as a primary school teacher before becoming a full-time writer. 

Her acclaimed debut collection Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis (1986) brought her immediate recognition, and her work is widely admired for its playful use of rhyme, parody, and insight into everyday relationships.

Cope has received a Cholmondeley (chum-lee) Award and a Michael Braude Award for Light Verse from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

In 2010, she was awarded an Order of the British Empire, part of the British honors system.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and lives in Winchester with her husband, the poet Lachlan Mackinnon.