For Douglas

It was a shock to hear the news; it didn't seem quite real

And every true Hithchhiker knows exactly how I feel

When I say that the loss is of a mentor and a friend;

For though I never met him, what I needed - he would send.

We are more fortunate than many mourners, in a way,

For we still have the books he wrote to get us through the day.

With Arthur we'll go roaming, or at teatime sit with Dirk,

And find the author's spirit in the body of his work.

Our hearts go out to those who loved him more than any fan,

The lucky few who really knew this giant of a man.

Above all it's with Polly and with Jane that we condole;

For family man, not writer, was his most important role.

He didn't care for God much; he believed more in ideas

And that's the thread that runs through all his projects down the
years.

In technical advancement and in man's dealings with nature,

His words have shaped the dreams of those whose dreams will shape the
future.

A fantasist was needed to create a Guide like this,

And second only to the man, his genius we'll miss.

You can't connect an iBook to an astral telephone:

Douglas brought us this far; we must do the rest alone.