Two Poems by John Rety Know This It is the job of each and everyone To be able to stand on their own feet And not on any account on Somebody else’s feet Understanding The most we can hope for Is that we might be understood by others With different understandings to ourselves.
These poems are published in Notebook in Hand. New and Selected Poems by John Rety (Stonewood Press, Oundle 2012). John Rety was born in Hungary in 1930, arrived in London in 1947, where he died in 2010. Together with his partner Susan Johns, he founded the famous Torriano Meeting House poetry venue in Kentish Town in 1982. To accompany it, they also set up the Hearing Eye press. His book is reviewed by Peter Phillips on page 26.