PoemThe Otter
Author / PoetSeamus Heaney
TagsIntimacy, Memory, Swimmer, Water

When you plunged
The light of Tuscany wavered
And swung through the pool
From top to bottom.

I loved your wet head and smashing crawl,
Your fine swimmer’s back and shoulders
Surfacing and surfacing again
This year and every year since.

I sat dry-throated on the warm stones.
You were beyond me.
The mellowed clarities, the grape-deep air
Thinned and disappointed.

Thank God for the slow loadening,
When I hold you now
We are close and deep
As the atmosphere on water.

My two hands are plumbed water.
You are my palpable, lithe
Otter of memory
In the pool of the moment,

Turning to swim on your back,
Each silent, thigh-shaking kick
Re-tilting the light,
Heaving the cool at your neck.

And suddenly you’re out,
Back again, intent as ever,
Heavy and frisky in your freshened pelt,
Printing the stones.

Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney
Region: Eastern Europe
Period: Contemporary
Awards: Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, Nobel Prize in Literature, Whitbread Book Award

more poems by Seamus Heaney

Poem NameTopic
Whatever You Say Say NothingConflict, Internment, Journalism
ValedictionAbsence, Emptiness, Love
PunishmentAdultery, Bog, Revenge
Personal HeliconDarkness, Memory, Reflection
Death of a NaturalistFlax, Frogs, Spawn
BoglandBog, Depth, History
Blackberry-PickingBlackberries, Decay, Loss
Storm on the IslandFear, Isolation, Nature

all poems by Seamus Heaney

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *