I had the last two days off work and gloriously spent them in the Vancouver sun, seeing new parts of the city and old ones, sharing it with friends and also enjoying some time in the city alone.
My very short vacation has all too soon come to an end but it left me with a smile and a poem that loosely took its inspiration from this one:
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.
The first time I read this poem (many years ago now), it also left me with a smile – and still does whenever I re-read it. My version doesn’t rhyme, doesn’t have the same structure, nor does it talk about oranges, but I think the tone is kind of similar.
The City by Charlene Kwiatkowski
It’s October
and the city is getting ready
for Christmas
“Let it Snow” floats over the waters
of Coal Harbour
origin undetected
but finds me at a bench
saying no
I’m not ready for snow
I’m still playing fall,
the changing leaves
a metonym for the city
changing all around me
and I—am letting it.
Coloured by its colours
moved by its movements
and the way it smiled at me
today—
a new view
an old friend
a skytrain passenger flinging his arm back
for a rail and grabbing my nose instead
These rush hour accidents
these slow waltzes
in and out of connection
The sun lighting the mountains
turning their tall, Pacific faces
to mine without ridicule
for thinking that maybe, today,
they shone just for me.
textingthecity 
I like both poems equally. Those are some great pictures you have there as well.
You do realise that there is a film festival on in your fair city!!! That would have been a fun way to spend two days!
thanks Jason. I actually wasn’t aware there was a film festival going on here – you’re obviously much more in the know about the film scene in Vancouver than I am, and you don’t even live here! Then again, that’s not surprising given what you blog about 🙂
I love your poem. Like it better than the oranges one, though I like that one too. Your second stanza is particularly strong. love the description of the mountains.Cary
thanks Cary. I was thinking the title of “the orange” reminds me a lot of your “apple” poem and the “pear” poem Andrew read in class. Makes me wonder how many other fruit have been turned into poetry!