Goodbye Gerry Stubbs....

I've just this minute heard some rather sad news. Gerry Stubbs, a local poet and very charming man, passed away last week. Gerry turned up to every poetry night when I was running them at The Ivy House up until about a year ago. I used to joke that the poetry nights attracted all styles of poetry from Wordsworth to hip hop and from all ages 18 to 88! Gerry was the 88. He was so dedicated to his poetry that he even had a poetry anthology published at around the same time, by this time he'd have been 89. I still sell his book, Simply Poetic Pride, in the shop and it has some pretty good verses in there, some of them very touching. At the poetry nights he used to hide behind the more frivolous poems when he performed them but, having read his book I know he was capable of more touching, emotional ones. He proudly told us that he's met Glen Miller during the war and had taken part in the D-Day landings. He told me he used to walk everywhere around Tonbridge and that that was his secret for staying fit; and I can also tell you that he certainly enjoyed a pint or two. As his son just told me, he certainly had a good innings. If you're listening Gerry it was nice to know you, and keep on with the poetry up in Heaven....