Aldeburgh cats

In Aldeburgh we ordered  cats of stone
I ‘ve lost the first, so one sits all alone.
By the clock upon the mantelpiece
There it is a conduit for my grief

Sitting here, I see the other one
By the fire, I’m happy it’ s not gone
I’ll wash it with a cloth and put it back
The two will guard my home, bring me good luck

I remember driving through green lanes
To Saffron Walden, to the potter’s home
I remember love and all it brings
Flowered fields of butterflies and song

But, love  deprived, I feel  such intense woe
That I to the wild poppies  shall soon go.