Roses and Rust: Lyrics from the Northern Border

by Chris Vobe

"Roses and Lyrics from the Northern Border" is a delicately-structured, thought-provoking span of work that delves powerfully into a stimulating exploration of a broad range of themes – from relationships to conflicts, through triumph and grief. Unafraid to confront the questions we are challenged to ask ourselves, love and loss are deftly explored with generous honesty, encompassing sorrowful reflections with candid narratives that are played out across an array of colourful backdrops. The breakdown of a marriage is grippingly re-told as an emotional hurricane taking place during political storms and global earthquakes; whilst the nuances of personal tragedy are laid bare with uncompromising rawness amid the burning heat of their setting. Infusions of nostalgia are catered for too; while the path of life’s conquests and consequences are traced along every unforgiving contour of love, faith, separation and loss. From the banks of the Jordan River, to the bone-chattering, smoking heart of the industrialised Black Country, culminating in two deeply compelling reflections on love set in the rolling Welsh landscape, "Roses and Rust" is a thought-provoking collection of lyrics and poetry, filled with an eclectic blend of humour, heartbreak and hope.

128 pages, Paperback

Published August 21, 2019