Christopher Jackson’s first full collection is a landmark moment where English poetry regains its spiritual and formal force. As the book begins: ‘Long as I can remember I’ve been pursued/by a suspicion of yellow at my back’ (‘The Lion’). These are poems which acknowledge that the world is in constant flux (‘change shall sweep through on the unjust and the just’ (‘March 2020’)) while also hoping for transcendent joy (‘I also aim to outlive the wind’ ‘Dandelions’).
In Jackson’s art it is acknowledged that the darker moments are secondary to those moments which are dominated by what he calls ‘the ingenuity of love’. All these poems are designed to rescue us from despair – it is a book which will change the reader, and make the ground firmer beneath your feet.