Stones Along the Mersey

A Memoir in Verse: Stones Along the Mersey by Charles Jota Fenix

Stones Along the Mersey is a powerful poetry collection told in four acts—Family, War, Work, and Identity. With raw lyricism and emotional clarity, Charles Jota Fenix crafts a deeply human journey across borders and time, exploring what it means to belong, endure, and grow.

From the humour of everyday life to the echoes of conflict and the grind of labour, Fenix’s voice is both personal and universal. Each poem stands as a testament to resilience, memory, and self-discovery, making this collection a resonant read for anyone drawn to honest, working-class narratives and vivid poetic storytelling.

Get your copy of Stones Along the Mersey and experience a life told in poetry.

Excerpt from the book

Soft Northern sun beats down,

in glorious radiant showers,

as I stand on the muddy banks of the Mersey with Grandfather.

An angsty teenager,

unforgiving and cold,

alongside the blind veteran,

whose true war of memory

was just beginning.

Warmth on my neck is a friend against

the bitter British frost,

spring only just breaking.

Grandfather hands me a stone,

symbolic of worries,

and tells me to skim,

cast out that stone and let the ripples rage

before the river swallows your worries.

And there we stand,

in my working memory

watching worries disappear

as we cast our

stones along the Mersey

and watch them fade away.