How do you redress a murder?

We bury the man

And bid him farewell

And Rest In Peace. 

We shake our head

At the injustice of it all

We call on heaven to witness

On the sun shining still to witness

And the earth that inherits the remains

To witness

We bid him farewell

With his dreams undone

With his next plans undone

We tell those crying

To bear the loss

That the loss is lost

The loss of his booming voice

The loss of his infectious humor

Let them bear the present

And then we go  away

And the sun comes out 

And the sun goes down on his witnessing rounds

The earth brings out new shoots 

And heaven still covers the murderer and the grave

He cannot call from beyond

To tell his wife

What lunch he wants for the day

He cannot take the stone out

Of the boys shoe

He cannot trade anymore

And heaven wets the earth and the grave

We may remember at his anniversary

Or name a building or two

Or make a procession or two

We may pay a sum

Or burn a house

We may even jail some 

and execute another

But the dead are dead

That which is done cannot be undone

He shakes his head sadly

as he retreats into the shadows

and asks no one in particular

How do you redress a murder?