There are so many well-known and not-so-well-known love poems that I return to. Today I’m thinking about ‘love’ in its different forms. One of my first published poems is very short. I’d probably write it rather differently today, 20 years on, but I’m still fond of the poem, its optimism, and its sense of closeness between humans and nature.
Otter
In the early morning
a little face with a long neck
appears at the window,
a little questioning face.
Two capable paws rest on the sill
and two surprising eyes
look through the window
at us in bed, drinking tea,
in our boat under the willow
in the early morning on the river.
Sarah Barr 