Roger Porter
July 18, 2011
I wonder about the dead sometimes. At an indecent hour like this I am up wondering if all those whom we have lost ever think about us. For example; when a memory of them runs through our mind did they place it there, or are they capable of conjuring up memories of us simultaneously.
I just saw a video of a 20-year-old Tupac Shakur. He was a defiant, articulate, and dangerous young black man. He was not unlike a few of my good friends who I lost in my early 20’s. It would really be amazing if they were in a place where they could bump into one another and have a real exchange. Assuming autographs are of no value in the afterlife they would be inclined to talk about something really profound like how to look after all of us on Earth, or where they went wrong in life. Better yet, maybe they are completely at peace.
Peace would be something that may take them half of eternity to adjust to. For while they were here all they knew was rage and unrest. It’s sad that they left this world so young but I hope they know that they had an enormous impact on my life. I write for them, I fight for them, and I live for them.
ghettosun 
I think it was Jorge Luis Borges who said that everyone dies twice: they die once when the body dies, and they die the second time when all the memories of them have passed on as well, in other words, they die again when everyone who remembered them has also died. your post reminded me of that idea. i like your idea of the dead reminding us of their presence. that could be the main reason why we make art, but we tend not to think of it that way
Yeah the relationship between the living and the dead is one that can always be further explored. Thanks for reading.