Poetry by Christie Dickason

About Christie Dickason

Harvard-educated and a former theatre director and choreographer with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Ronnie Scott's (among others) Christie has written six internationally-published novels as well as poetry and theatre pieces. She has collaborated with the composer Cecilia McDowall several times before.

Five Seasons, a cantata with words by Christie and music by Cecilia, was first performed in Sherborne Abbey on 18th November 2006. Inspiration for the work arose from visits made to five organic farms in the spring of 2006, Woodlands being one. Christie's collection of poems written during the project was published as The Balancing Dance by The Ollerton Press.

Visit Christie's website www.christiedickason.com

Shimmer

A hum of green
gently shakes the earth awake.
Small green knives
slice through winter's grip.
Snowdrops fill
cold spaces in the soul.
'Here’s light,' they murmur.
'Again, here’s light!'

Excited insects creak and churr.
Unfurling songs now
rise and swell.
Uncurling tongues of yellow,
and blue. Great chords
of greens - honeysuckle leaves,
pale beech, the nettles' silver teeth.

Primrose, woodruff,
moschatel,
pink cuckoo flower,
marsh marigold,
the anthem swells -
'Speed well! Speed well!'

A radiant flinging up of thorn
now shouts with joy.
Blackbirds reply.
Larks stitch together earth and sky.
Ragged Robin sings and meadow sweet.
Knapweed, sorrel
full-bellied sheep,
the shameless diapason soars.
‘The light returns!
Here’s life! Here’s life!’

Now come the massed full-throated tones
of plump and honey-weighted may.
Braided waters drum on stones
can-can heifers kick the air
above unfurling garlic moons.

Eggs press at the hearts of laying hens.
Dogs writhe, feet up, in ecstasy.
The world agrees on flat-out bliss -
this renewed perfection of beginning,
another chance to get it right.
The light is here!
At last, the light

Grace before meat (Introit)
For Ruth and Mike

Humbly we ask the gift of your life.

Together, we enter the mystery,

we, in full knowing,

accepting the fearful weight of choice,

denying nothing,

receiving your gift with a careful heart.

Cabbage planter (Lincolnshire)

Balanced on the thin dark line
of earth drawn
at the very bottom of the sky
a water-boatman planter paddles forward
marking beam akimbo,
roaring, snorting,
carving the dirt with steady, relentless speed.
Eight hands beyond the wall of
seated backs,
plucking, placing,
race
against inexorable
mechanical need.

With unexpected delicacy, iron rollers
caress the soil firm
around the heads
of thread-necked infant cabbages.