About

Ray Frye was a master of satire and ironic wit. His eye for the flaws and foibles of humankind is acutely reminiscent of Alexander Pope or Dean Swift. A deep passion for justice and integrity of life and spirit infused his work. Yet his celebration of the delights of body, flesh and mind was equally acute; a vein of rich sensuality and earthy appreciation runs through much of his work. Underlaying all this, however, is a recognition of the transitory and troubled nature of this present existence and the struggle for spiritual enlightenment and nirvana.

In his lifetime, Frye published four books of verse, Discoveries, The Secret Day, A World, and After Twenty Years. His work also featured in several journals and collections. This posthumous collection showcases a selection of that work, along with the story of his travels across postwar Europe in a superannuated 1923 London taxi, and a final Kafkaesque verse sequence, The Black Factory of Death, built from his stay in a nursing home.

Proudly published by Post Pressed

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Extract

Customs Official

Again and again your face is stamped
With lipstick, to certify
That it is passed by love.

from The Black Factory of Death

Four Walkers in Succession Pace through the Dining Room

These shapeless women, with faded clothes,
Walk in turn the room.
They are Prowlers, Walkers, who daily pace
The hospital from end to end.
Each a crewless planet, that ceaseless turns
Upon a Madness — Giant Sun,
Of Type Extinct — Dementia.

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