you’re where I stand, hearing the sea, crazy 

for the shore, seeing the moon ache and fret

for the earth. When morning comes, the sun, ardent, 

covers the trees in gold, you walk 

towards me,

out of the season, out of the light love reasons.

In 2009, Carol Ann Duffy made history when she was appointed the first female and openly lesbian British poet laureate. ‘Love’ is a perfect example of the monologue-style poems she is known for, fitting in with her usual sensory and emotional style of writing; here, she describes love as beautifully boundless, like the light of the sun or the crashing sound of waves.