Vale Ray Stuart

VALE RAY STUART

Sad news. This from the Friendly Street Poets website:

Friendly Street is saddened to learn of the recent death of Ray Stuart.

Ray was a regular at Friendly Street for many years, making valuable contributions as poet and editor (co-editing Friendly Street Poetry Reader 24 with Jude Aquilina), Committee Member and Convenor.

His warmth, wisdom, humour and poetry will be sorely missed.

Friendly Street passes on its deepest condolences and sympathy to Ray’s wife, Heather, and family.

Ray had intended to launch his second collection of poems, High Mountainous Country – No Reliable Information (from local publisher, Forty Degrees South) in Hobart last week.

Ray Stuart

LANGUAGES

‘Ich weiss nichtwas soll es bedeutendass ich so traurig bin’

Heinrich Heine

 

Within the attic of my mind

in the furthest lit corner

an explanation of tenses

scattered French verbs

and a fragment of Caesar

in Cisalpine Gaul.

 

On the camphorwood chest

a blue folder signed off

in unmistakable English.

 

Through the dormer window

past a wind-moved tree

a shoreline in moonlight

where the Lorelei still sings,

but now on sandstone rocks

and to the tune of a steel guitar.