In Trace Elements, his first collection in eight years, Nigel Forde takes us on a quintessentially English journey through life and memory, exploring love, landscape, music and those difficult moments we all share but few can put into words. Though there is great sadness along the way, it is beautifully balanced with fine humour – the yin and yang of a life well-lived.
This powerful collection of poems deals with the darker side of childhood and throws light on the sinuous intricacies of music; a subject notoriously difficult to write about, but tackled here in several illuminating sections. It is also, at its heart, a paean to the English landscape; its beauty, its mystery and its soul-soothing qualities.