“Oranges” is perhaps my favorite poem to teach, a poem that captures the hearts of all, no matter their age or background. And as an instructor it never fails to make its point: We can relate an experience rich in emotion and resonance without ever telling our reader what to think. We just have to evoke it through detail and description. A boy who watches the front porch light, a face bright with rouge, the jingle of the bell in a drugstore, an orange on the counter. We understand it all.
A neighbor from a few blocks over emailed me when this appeared in the poetry box. “Thank you for the beautiful poem,” she said. It is beautiful. It is a marvel.
“When I looked up,
The lady’s eyes met mine,
And held them, knowing
Very well what it was all
About.
”
