wendy cope’s orange: this juice is worth the squeeze

~ jama

Here’s an appeeling little poem to cheer you up. 🙂

“Orange” by Lu-Yong.
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 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.

~ from The Orange and other poems (Faber, 2023)

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“Orange Xrayed” by Stuart Dunkel.

How can you not smile and feel happy after reading that gem?

So simple, direct, accessible — and that last line! All is right with the world when you’re in love. How many times in your life have you had the presence of mind to wholeheartedly declare, “I’m glad I exist”? A powerful expression of gratitude. This is the kind of poem that wins over those who claim they don’t like or understand poetry.

Along with the joy of sharing the orange with friends and celebrating the ordinary, there’s also a subtext implying that the speaker’s “peace and contentment” is not only new but hard-won. That orange is even sweeter.

One of these oranges is not like the others.

What inspired Cope to write this poem?

In the early 1980s I was a teacher seconded to County Hall, working on a newspaper published by the Inner London Education Authority. After I left that job I regularly met my ex-colleagues Robert and Dave for lunch, often on the South Bank. On the day of ‘The Orange’, which would have been around 1989, I think we were in the café of the National Film Theatre. I saw the outsize orange and put it on my tray, although I hardly ever eat oranges. The rest of the story is in the poem, which I probably wrote that evening.

It is addressed to the man I was in a fairly new relationship with at the time. His name is not mentioned. We lasted about a year.

Robert died in 2014. I’m still friends with Dave.

The relationship lasted just a year, but this delightful poem lives on. It initially appeared in Cope’s second book, Serious Concerns (1993). I’m guessing due to its enduring popularity, it was chosen as the title poem for a new collection, published in 2023 — a slender volume introducing her work to a new generation of fans.

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📕 📗 BOOK GIVEAWAY WINNER! 🎉 🎈

Thanks to all for commenting on last week’s BLESS OUR PETS review post. I think Lee was probably smiling down on all of us as we praised the book and talked about our pets.

We are pleased to announce that the lucky winner of a brand new copy of the book is:

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🎺 *trumpet fanfare* 🎺

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🥁 *drum roll please* 🥁

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🌺 VERONICA F. MURRAY!! 🐶

Congratulations, Veronica!!

And thanks again, everyone. Look for another giveaway next week. 🙂

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Lovely and talented Heidi Mordhorst is hosting the Roundup at my juicy little universe (she’s also worth the squeeze). Zip on over to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Your mission should you choose to accept it: Enjoy a great weekend with your main squeeze, or eat at least five oranges.

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Merrily we roll along . . .

*Copyright © 2024 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

28 thoughts on “wendy cope’s orange: this juice is worth the squeeze”

  1. My favorite fruit! (and color!) I love the backstory to Cope’s poem and her last line is one for the ages. A perfect way squeeze the day. 😉

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  3. Jama, I agree that this poem belongs in an anthology for “regular” people about ways to read a poem. I often have adults expressing interest in a workshop that teaches something they think of as “poetry appreciation,” and the way this zooms in on the small pleasures of one day is very visible. Thanks for calling me worth the squeeze, and I ADORE your opening Orange Assemblage on Blue Patterned Cloth!

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    1. Thanks, Heidi! This little book would be a good one to share in a poetry appreciation workshop. The other poems are just as accessible to a general audience.

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    1. Haven’t shared this one before, but last October I did share Lori Levy’s “In the Mood for Orange” with the whole post full of orange-y images. 🙂

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  5. Great post, Jama! I wrote a poem about “The Orange” last year (inspired by finding a postcard of it on my daughter’s dorm room). Another of my favorite Wendy Cope poems is “Differences of Opinion.” Stuart Dunkel’s picture is wonderful.

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  7. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that an artist can create such beauty through a piece of fruit. Wendy Cope’s brief poem includes everything we love knowing, especially with the line to celebrate, “It’s new”. One wants to say “hurrah!”. Also, the Lu-Yong art feels as if I could reach in to grab a section or two! Thanks, Jama, a lovely post, like always!

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  8. Jama, I have been waiting for this book to come out!  My daughter requested it as a birthday gift months ago before it was released, and I had forgotten about it.  I am excited to get a copy (and I might have to take a sneak peek before I give it to her).

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  11. Oh, my gosh…your photos crack me up. I love your sense of play. I would love to be a fly on the wall while you are setting up to see you getting everything just write. ‘The Orange’ looks like a great book. I love the irony of a poem about a giant orange when the word orange doesn’t have any true rhyme. Take THAT you crazy English language!

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  12. Ah, Jama, I agree “The Orange” is an accessible poem. Thank you for sharing Wendy Cope’s work here. The cover art is beautiful too, as is your wonderful orangey post. “I’m glad I exist” is a wonderful sentiment.

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