Best Otter Poems
koi pond
is empty now
full otter
After days of rain;
I watched an otter feeding
in loch's calm water
Leaving silver trail
as he dived joyfully in
to plunder for lunch
At Otter Lake, whilst welkin starry clear,
A ghostly wail bruits eerily despair,
And eyes appear alit like embers near,
At Otter Lake.
Avaunt, the trappers pray, bedim thy glare;
In sooth, thy mourning grieves a bygone year,
From earthly bourn, ascend to angels care.
Arose a zephyr, thick as bloodied air,
And shrieking withered every soul with fear,
To where a man durst lay his footsteps there,
At Otter Lake.
bow riding
Dall's porpoises play
sea otters, orcas
and bald eagles
every day
herding salmon
otter find another boat
and some porpoise
otter love you more
like I did in Alaska
otter mend this net
love slips through
reel it in carefully
and stack it meticulously
(setting it should
never ensue disaster)
a listless drifter
I have been
tempting storms
and rocky shores
otter live this life on porpoise
like I did then
choose a destination
sail to better shores (oh, give me a home
where the sea otters roam
and the bow riding
Dall's porpoises play)
otter love you more
like I did in Alaska
If you should see an otter
Disappear beneath the water,
Whether in a brook
Or in the briny sea,
Just let me say, it's best you
Don't call a lifeguard to the rescue,
For in the water is exactly
Where an otter oughter be.
The otter is playful and curious
His bed is made of kelp
When it comes to finding food
This creature needs no help
And now we are two otters
Set peacefully adrift
In kelp strands entwined
By anemone gardens
There is just you and me
Upon emerald waters
The simplest gift
Is your hand in mine
And I am safely harbored
From the perilous sea.
Frisky frog forgot to bathe
So off he went, to the creek
Alone in the water, he decided
He’d be so clean, he’d squeak
Silly squirrel, scattered his nuts
Along the bank where Frog swam
Sinking into the clearest water
Frog told the squirrel he should scram
Friendly fish whirled in the waves
Swaying with the chug of the water
Reminding Frog he was surely clean
So he could visit the king’s daughter
Bristly bear came across the ridge
Rattling the leaves with his great paws
The others saw him and left the creek
Recalling the fierceness of his wide jaws
Frisky frog went to visit the king
While silly squirrel packed his lunch
And, friendly fish worked up the nerve
To glide by bristly bear – and on a hunch…
They all thanked God for this water
Where they finally met Mr. Otter!
Be Creative Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Eve Roper
November 6, 2022
An amazing fact most people don't know
Otters sleep holding hands, hetro or homo
Bull poop methinks
Though some do wear pink
Most Otters go drinking with their jock amigos
I
Mr. R. was in rapt reverie
Mr. M rowed the boat
A last minute rescue mission
For otter gone over, for a Piper
Not Pied, but he may as well have been
Lured the junior from Mr. Portly O.
Otter senior, according to K. Grahame
II
Before messrs R & M (rat & mole) that is,
Found the young otter who'd gone missing
Causing grief to all back home, & Dad -
They found God: Awe, Presence, Friend & Helper
Led by the piping of a heavenly Piper
In the chapter of WIND IN THE WILLOWS named:
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
If a Rat & Mole can find God through Music,
What's your Excuse (no pressure, LOL!)
III
President Teddy Roosevelt wrote the author, 17 January 1909, from the White House, that he had come round to liking the (third) book by Kenneth Grahame. Most readers & critics, & the public resisted liking this book because of his earlier success (with two children's stories). Grahame's Rat, Mole, Badger, Toad, and Otters have become widely accepted & loved. Better late than never. Thx Teddy Bear Prez. (Prez. TR founded the US Wildlife Refuge system)
Luminescent water dweller swirling svelte
Slick slid tranquil cuddles chocolate flanks
Languish in lake's fresh flow cleanses pelt
Inveigled green murk give mammal thanks
Flip of fish bodied bristle face fierce scent
Dispersing air bubble clusters break ranks
Astonished by spine kink accomplishment
Ransack gets snack refuel on sandy banks
Sharp fang archer snares mollusc, eloquent
Velvet lips emit wet grass verdant vibe knell
Frolicking gloss body, domain of free agent
Guarantees relief, feasted minuscule morsel
Rotary manuevres engrave prey unhindered
Dagger mouth rolls marble glassy carouse
Rouge show-off swims to coldest dominion
Flagrant tail track flicks a frigid drop douse
11th February
Behemoth of depths
For years the otter stood on a shelf in the toy store…stood up proud and strong…
waiting for the right child to choose him…then Ollie came along.
In his stroller while in the store…long before he had a voice…Ollie let his parents know…the otter was his choice.
From that day forward they were inseparable…playing in the yard…the sand…the water…they did everything together…Ollie and his otter.
When Ollie was a child…not yet grown up…still quite small…his hopes…his dreams…his wishes…the otter heard them all.
There comes a time in a child’s life, however, a time all their favorite toys dread…when the toy spends less time with the child…and more time on the stand beside his bed.
But Ollie’s otter didn’t mind…he knew they were still a team…that even though he didn’t play with him as much…Ollie still shared with him his his hopes, his wishes…his dreams.
When Ollie went off to college…his otter stayed back…he didn’t roam…
waiting proudly on that shelf…for Ollie to come home.
Happy to welcome Ollie back…happy to visit for a while and then…
proudly taking his place until Ollie returned again.
When it came time for Ollie to move out…to start a life…more independently…
“Mom!” He said as he was packing, “Otter comes with me.”
Throughout their years together…their friendship would endear..
both of them glad just knowing the other one was near.
Ollie’s otter got to meet Ollie’s wife and children…and they all cam to know…
the meaning of a lifelong friendship formed so many years ago.
And Ollie’s family loves to tell the story…
of how once in a toy store this otter stood up proud and strong…
and how both their lives would change forever….
the day that Ollie came along.
There once was a very odd otter
Who was strangely afraid of the water
He was an otter and yet
There was no getting his fur wet
A great disappointment to his father
Of many times we have in life,
Like some within the water.
A charm it seems, but darkness rife,
The mean and precious otter.
When first you glance, how beautiful,
And cute from feet to ears,
But deep inside, not viewable,
Is more than it appears.
The otter, such savage beast,
which kills it’s own for fun.
It rips and claws until deceased,
And leave it when it’s done.
Then don’t forget the way it stalks,
To torture baby seals.
And off away it gladly walks,
With other otter meals.
So in your world, just be aware,
Of cute but full of strife,
And gaze upon the otters there,
That swim about your life.
As the sun set, the large cloud otter gently shifted.
His massive body stretching himself out into the peaceful night.