| Gary Soto
Oranges is a poem about the thoughts and feelings an adolescent boy about to meet
up with a girl for a first date.
Gary Soto uses a range of poetic devices to deliver his message. Similes, metaphors, figurative
language, and vivid imagery help to develop the pot and appeal to the senses.
Summary: The speaker is thinking back on his first date. This date takes place during the cold of
winter, but the oranges that he has brought with him are full of warmth and color. They are symbols
of hope and confidence.
Oranges
The first time I walked
With a girl, I was twelve,
Cold, and weighted down
With two oranges in my jacket.
December. Frost cracking
Beneath my steps, my breath
Before me, then gone,
As I walked toward
Her house, the one whose
Porchlight burned yellow
Night and day, in any weather.
A dog barked at me, until
She came out pulling
At her gloves, face bright
With rouge. I smiled,
Touched her shoulder, and led
Her down the street, across
A used car lot and a line
Of newly planted trees,
Until we were breathing
Before a drugstore. We
Entered, the tiny bell
Bringing a saleslady
Down a narrow aisle of goods.
I turned to the candies
Tiered like bleachers,
And asked what she wanted -
Light in her eyes, a smile
Starting at the corners
Of her mouth. I fingered
A nickel in my pocket,
And when she lifted a chocolate
That cost a dime,
I didn’t say anything.
I took the nickel from
My pocket, then an orange,
And set them quietly on
The counter. When I looked up,
