Wendy Cope

This Easter I stumbled across the poetry of Wendy Cope. Her short humorous poems are beautifully observed reflections on modern life. She is a kind of female John Betjemin for the 21st century; it maybe poetry for women, but I instantly liked it. Here is one poem:

The Orange
At lunchtime I bought a huge orange —
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled 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 the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.