Whisky, Cigarettes and Wit

No sound would be heard if
So much silence was not heard.
Clouds scuff like sheep on the cliff.
The echoes of stones are restored.
No longer any foreshore
Or any abyss, this
World only held together
By its variety of absences.

- From 'Absences'

Tomorrow is Dominic Francis Moraes' first death anniversary, and to mark the occasion Saryu Srivatsa has organised a reading from his work at the British Council auditorium in Mumbai. The evening, as planned by Rahul daCunha, will be a mix of the more serious poetry and lighter prose with a DVD projection of Dom reading his own verses. More details here.

Viveka Smith, one of those who will read from his poems, has this to say: “The poems I’m reading reflect his intensity and passion as a writer. I loved him for his whisky, cigarettes and wit.”

The Guardian obit, with reminiscences by Alan Brownjohn, Bernard Kops and Naseem Khan, is worth re-reading.