"Dance for me, in the hex-chambers"

Ode: "To river otters, on the occasion of their union"

Festivities from the king and queen,

The reeds are stripped and

Braided into coronets for their son and his

Bride-to-be.

Finger-pads dig furrows in the loam,

Trails for tails,

The courtship dance to culminate in

Matrimony.

Trumpet frogs in the bulrushes

Croak approvals as their offspring trace

Tan-coloured fireworks on the surface of the lake.

Here she comes now, eyes bright and

Whiskers groomed by ladies-in-waiting.

There he stands on hind legs, tail twitching and

Forelimbs dangling, poised in waiting.

Wise old Mole emerges from his

Hole, eyes like coal and

Fingers like spindles which have borne the

Wedding rings for queens and

Kings of generations past.

Otter king and otter queen,

Otter prince and bride-to-be,

Stand together by the lakeside clear

As Crane swoops down for the

Ceremony to begin,

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here…

Soft snow falls upon their

Union and snowflakes kiss his whiskers and

Alight on her nose as rings are

Slipped over finger-pads and paws are

Held together.