The Public Duty Doctrine.85: Due & Owing

"All Souls' Day" by D.H. Lawrence, extracted from The Oxford Book of Death, Chosen and Edited by D.J. Enright, Oxford University Press, 1983:

"Be careful, then, and be gentle about death,
For it is hard to die, it is difficult to go through
the door, even when it opens.

"And the poor dead, when they have left the walled
and silvery city of the now hopeless body
where are they to go, Oh where are they to go?

"They linger in the shadow of the earth.
The earth's long conical shadow is full of souls
that cannot find the way across the sea of change.

"Be kind, Oh be kind to your dead
and give them a little encouragement
and help them to build their little ship of death.

"For the soul has a long, long journey after death
to the sweet home of pure oblivion.
Each needs a little ship, a little ship
and the proper store of meal for the longest journey.

"Oh, from out of your heart
provide for your dead once more, equip them
like departing mariners, lovingly."

For those of you who linger, seeking truth and justice, you can go now. I promise to do what I can.

Due.

What I can. We owe you that much............One thing, though.

Yes?

Don't look back.