The allotment garden fields 1957

Fine-day-Sunday March they're digging dig dig digging, double digging
The claggy crop of flints that never ends.
Row-plodding to the end they're digging dig dig digging double digging
Ten pole o' ground to do afore Good Friday ends.

Late March Friday crucifiction, pain, back-bending bending double bending
Sowing out the early taters, beans and sets
Pick the final purple sprouting; pain, back-bending bending double bending
Raid the empty clamp, frost-cabbage, rabbit nets.

Cruel April sends them skimping, skimp skimp skimping double skimping
Thin-sliced, April, starvegut; makes you sick.
Pinch-belly, no-money April skimping, skimp skimp skimping double skimping
Can-colonial carrots, shop-bought, all on tick.

May; we dare to see them hoping, hope hope hoping, double hoping
Sniffing at the leaf-sprout, lilac-scented air.
Look! Moon-rising May. They're hoping! Hope hope hoping double hoping!
See the early shoots a showing there!

Close, thunder- flaming June I'm rolling, roll roll rolling, double rolling.
Down the bank, in-hand, barley sugar from the mantle tin.
On midsummer June-seed sack in Harry's barrow, I'm rolling roll roll rolling double rolling!
"Stuff 'll come up as soon as in!"

Wet-warm-winsome July they're hoeing, hoe hoe hoeing, double hoeing
Missus helps a rooting out along the rows.
Never-had-it-so-good July, they're hoeing hoe hoe hoeing, double hoeing
Save-seed sweating, dewdrop on her nose.

Drab-tree crab-tree August we're queueing, queue queue queueing, double queueing
Out the Parish Hall and round the side
All-year-saving, well-cropped August queueing, queue queue queueing double queueing
To pay our ten and six at Lammastide.

Leaf-turning burning-gold September we're praying pray pray praying double praying.
In the flinty-kneeling church, collection pence.
Wheatsheaf-loaf, chrysanthemum'd September praying, pray pray praying double praying
Harvest Home's when Harry's God makes sense.

Shh..October lies a dieing, lying, smoking, smoke smoke smoking double smoking
Attic-apples, sleeping roots in earthy clamp.
Shh..Rot-dead leaf-fired October smoking, smoke smoke smoking double smoking
Creation moulders down and dies mist-damp.

Bitter-bark bare-boned November digs in biting, bite bite biting, double biting
Dumb, crumb-less Robin begging in the frost
Balaclava'd fog-breath'd November biting, bite bite biting, double biting
Oak and Ash fought Holly and they lost

Ox and ass-inn-stalled, December dreaming, dream dream dreaming double dreaming
In its snow-white blanket dead and cold.
East-starred, wise men spend December dreaming, dream dream dreaming double dreaming
Of the greatest story ever told.

Year-gate-opening January comes in turning, turn turn turning double turning.
On a Snowdrop's small green spike
Eternal life-assuring January turning, turn turn turning double turning
Earth's wine to water that fills the dyke.

Hard-arsed sargeant February stomps in marching march march marching double marching
Will life pass his close inspection?
Cold-dry-starch-stiff boot-hard February marching march march marching double marching
Towards the Easter resurrection.