I’m
sitting in the Felton cemetery…it’s an old cemetery, with dates going back to
the 1800’s. It’s quiet and interesting and I like coming here because there’s
no one around…well, no one who is going to bother me!
I’m
sitting here looking out at all the markers, some fancy, some not so much. Most
are very old, some more recent.
There’s
gonna be two dates on your tombstone, everyone will read ‘em
All
that’s gonna matter is the little dash between ‘em
Some
of the markers are tilting, others have fallen over. Some are so old you can’t
even read them. Some are gone, leaving no trace…
The
grass is dead, the weeds are overgrown…it looks like a movie set. That’s why I
like it…it’s very surreal, and very peaceful.
It’s
hard not to think about the people here who died so long ago. Looking out at
the various markers, which acknowledge that this person existed and for this
long, I wonder about all these people…
All
the lonely people, where do they all come from…
I
wonder about their lives, their loves, joys, triumphs and sorrows. I wonder
about their hopes and dreams, desires, faults...about their concerns,
successes, failures. Real people who lived and breathed and had families.
Did
the family breakdown as they came here to bury their loved one, or were they
stoic?
Did
they die with regrets? I think everyone has some regrets, no matter what they
say. If I died right now, I’d have a few…
But
then again, too few to mention…
That
would be ironic if I died right now, being in a cemetery and all…
I
find myself wondering how many of these people suffered; suffered from physical
or mental disease. How many suffered from depression, or were bi-polar, back
before they even knew what it was! A scarey thought!
Were
they poor? Did they live well? Were they born here? Did they go to church?
Where did they work? Would I have liked them? Would they have liked me? Did
they even have families to miss them?
I sit
here and I think all this, as the wind blows through the trees, and I feel a
little sad.
As I
look out across this old cemetery, I can almost see a family gathered ‘round a
grave, with someone singing Amazing Grace, and I know that someday they’ll be
gathered ‘round for me.
That
sounds like a song…I’ll work on it!
Ralphie
