A Working Lunch
I was once quite alone, on a Tuesday I think,
when I swear that my lunch caught my eye with a wink.
Just the Orange, I should say (my sandwich was mute)
and then it just started to talk, this strange fruit
"Hey you, poet!", it shouted, "put down your dull tea,
it is time to get writing some poems about me!"
I pretended I spoke to rude fruit all the time
and said "I cannot, 'cos your name has no rhyme"
It sighed, "Oh poets, surely you qualify
to make sure a language can't just ossify?"
And it's true, we're makers of fresh words, so for orange
I wrote this here poem in a way most gasmorange.
when I swear that my lunch caught my eye with a wink.
Just the Orange, I should say (my sandwich was mute)
and then it just started to talk, this strange fruit
"Hey you, poet!", it shouted, "put down your dull tea,
it is time to get writing some poems about me!"
I pretended I spoke to rude fruit all the time
and said "I cannot, 'cos your name has no rhyme"
It sighed, "Oh poets, surely you qualify
to make sure a language can't just ossify?"
And it's true, we're makers of fresh words, so for orange
I wrote this here poem in a way most gasmorange.
This poem is copyright (©) Brian Mackenwells 2024
About the Writer
Brian Mackenwells
Brian Mackenwells is an Irish writer, living in Oxford. Despite being quite tired, he has written for the BBC Boring Talks about pencils, told stories on stage about not getting sick in zero gravity, performed standup about strange superheroes, co-wrote a full-cast audio drama every month for five years, and his Irish-language film-poem ‘Cur Síos‘ was chosen for the ‘Irish Selection’ category at the 2021 “ó bhéal” Irish poetry festival.
