65. The Orange | Wendy Cope
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I love you. I’m glad I exist.
Friends,
I love a good book of poetry. During the pandemic, when I lost all interest in reading, I reset myself by starting over with poetry and short stories. Often poems can feel ‘serious’ to me, written about significant subjects – love, death, time, age - so it is a delight to find Wendy’s utterly hilarious collection. A book for your bedside table to dip into when you are feeling a little low.
A few of my favourites from the collection are below.
He Tells Her (for Ruth B.)
He tells her that the earth is flat -
He knows the facts, and that is that.
In altercations fierce and long
She tries her best to prove him wrong.
But he has learned to argue well.
He calls her arguments unsound
And often asks her not to yell.
She cannot win. He stands his ground.
The planet goes on being round.
Being Boring
Names
The Orange
some other things:
🍊 a wonderful way to learn about poetry
🍊 this is the nonsense of love
🍊 my orange week in photos
Oh, my. Dear Wendy Cope! I must have this book. Thanks for the introduction.
My aspirational word for the year is content. These help! Thank you. https://rightfootforward.substack.com/p/my-aspirational-word-of-the-year