Orange

You are round and bright in your orange suit. Sweet and at times bitter as you are a citrus fruit. With painted eyes, nose and mouth you have style. So you can look at kids with a funny smile. Jugglers play ball with you as you dance around in a twist. Satsuma, Mandarin, and Clementine love you as you’re earnest. You please us with your delicious juices as sun rises. Vitamin C enriched so we resist disease as we drink your prize. Your name came from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. You’re cherished by the Chinese for thousands of years---your heritage. You are the colour of the morning sky of sun’s orange hue. You bless humanity with your flesh---always on cue. You’re now part of my fruit collection as you sit proudly on my kitchen table. Plum nudges you to roll while strawberry wants you as marmalade in this tale. Other fruits want to grapple with you so you can have a merry roll. Banana has designs on you and is trying to find your pretty mole! Alas that won’t be as now kids are playing ball with you But by end of day, one of them will be black and blue.