Elizabeth Wadsworth Ellis

The Dead Don’t Need Passports

The dead are light-weight carry-ons, no suitcases to pack, no tickets to buy, no “Honey, the red or the blue, Wha’ do you think?” Carry the dead anywhere in your mind. No more “Will it be raining?” Dress them any way you like, take them anywhere, even public restrooms. No more conversing. You talk more now dead than alive. Sometimes memory haunts with the unrealistic. The unresolved comes with desire to touch. They’re so touchy. “Anything to declare?” the customs dude asks. Nope. No relinquishing their belt or scanning their shoes at security crossings. No last minute errands. “Honey, I’m not ready, stop rushing me!”  No more “Are we there yet?”  No more “Honey, this seat belt feels tight.” No more carsickness. Take the deceased anywhere no fuss or muss no more decisions or squawking, “l don’ wanna!”  You can alter, custom fit, play dress up or dress down without any feedback or throw back. No recrimination. “Don’t give me no guff!” You demand Sainthood (it’s so convenient) what you want when you want it without unnecessary blow back. No more smirks. No more lost house keys. “Did you pay the electric bill?” No more denying the imperfect, no more dusty shelf, dishes in the sink. “Did you take your pills?” The dead can light a doobie, blow smoke in your face, and say “F___ the police!” Make you blush. (“I’ve always wanted to see you blush.”)  So convenient, without hassle. No more missed calls. Say what you like. Sing your favorite song top volume, off key. Nah, who cares? No more “Who ate the last donut?” Don’t give a damn? Dream on. (The deceased won’t either.) No more lost umbrellas or the need for one, or for you. No more “Turn that damn thing down!” The deceased have set out for their port of call without a travel guide or plan or atlas, destination unknown, unseen, unfathomed, unbeknownst. A dead man once told me, “Don’t worry.” The deceased are where they need to be. You’re not.

Elizabeth Wadsworth Ellis was an outside child, conceived outside marriage, wed outside her culture, served outside her country in Serbia, Sofia and Russia, and holds beliefs outside her upbringing. She has jumped outside airplanes.