Dear Axel,

Farewell, my friend, fare thee well.

I will not be with your earthly remains, today, as they are transformed by fire to ashes, ashes to be distributed in the air and over waters of your beautiful land.

Nor will I be at or near your home with your wife Pratlbha, lioness to your lion ... with your noble assistant, colleague and friend, Eric ... nor with other good friends who love you like Noel and Jan.

I hope you and they forgive me for my absence. It was not right for me to come at this time.

But not only will I remember you on the day of your cremation. I shall always remember you and celebrate your memory. You were/are/will have been/shall always be among the great spirits of human kind. A one-off number, an extraordinary one of us.

Many, many people over the years since you were afflicted with ALS (Motor Neuron Disease), have helped care for you. Many people gave a lot of themselves and their love to care for you and keep you as well and able as possible. And you gave something special to every one of them, to every one of us. You gave us a priceless and unforgettable gift ... in a word, inspiration.

You capped a life of creative living and creative writing, of having the courage to be, without hesitation (or hardly any, relative to most of us), with the courage to be yourself as fully as possible even when ravaged by ALS. I don't know where you are going .... but I think you can only be a provocative boon to whoever or whatever you may encounter.

Wherever that place or no-place is, it will never be the same again. And neither will the places and people you leave behind.

Axel Jensen, alchemical agent .... Good sailing, Captain! Until we meet again, in whatever way, in whatever dimension...

We shall greatly miss you!

Regards,
With much love,
And great respect,
And thanks,
Leon