Selah - Softcover

"lyrically rich poems, charged with emotion, passion and lots of humour" - Sabotage; "clever, insightful, humorous and humbling... an excellent poet and one to watch" Three Weeks; "astute... witty... charming" - BroadwayBaby; "articulate, erudite and well-informed... his beat reminiscent of Linton Kwesi Johnson and the dub poets of the eighties, of rap artists emergent since the nineties, and - of the most celebrated poets of the twentieth century." - BroadwayBaby; "Keith Jarrett's poems combine a rhetorical purposefulness with a smart and adventurous imagination" - Jack Underwood, on I Speak Home

The Hebrew-derived word Selah appears as a musical interlude in the Psalms, often meaning 'stop and consider', and is used in other contexts, religious and secular. This collection brings together poems that combine musical intrigue with history and desire, from organ recitals ('Resonances' and 'When the Roll is Called') to teenage gospel hip-hop ('Hip-hop Salvation'). Humour and sex punctuate social commentary ('Gay Poem' and 'No Timewasters') throughout. Above all, Selah asks the reader to stop and consider, pausing at the fault lines in relationships and intimacy ('Making Light') and transgression ('Transfiguration'), asking difficult questions and holding them to the light.