Oranges and Lemons by Vivien Teasdale

 

 

‘Oranges and lemons’ said the bells of St Clements,

Rung out, in tones as regular and strident

As does my humdrum shopping list.

In fact, I have to be quite honest

My lack of cooking skills are to blame.

Each week, it seems I buy the same:

Campbell’s condensed chicken soup

Then down on tins of beans I swoop,

Fresh fish and bacon, cheese and butter

Look at my list, which brings a mutter,

Run back up the aisles to jams and honey

Then check my purse, I’ve got the money,

Something special now for Sunday tea:

But what are kumquats, dragon fruit, lychee?

From fruit I pass the stacks of melons

And end up buying - oranges and lemons.

"Oranges and lemons" by CharlesFred is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.