Observations From a Stroll Through the Cemetery
On remembering lives fully lived, and the one message we’d leave behind
In warmer months, I walk daily in a local historic cemetery. Its terraced landscaping and ancient stones ground me.
I know walking through cemeteries isn’t for everyone, but I find it oddly comforting. Most of the graves mark people who no longer have living descendents who personally knew them. And yet, they are still remembered. As I pass their grave stones, some illegible, I wonder about who they were, what they enjoyed, who they loved, how they laughed, and what mattered most to them.
This daily ritual, along with hugging a magical tree along the path, is very healing for me. Many of my poems are written as I trace the paths, earbuds in, while humming along to music by Rising Appalachia.
Here’s what emerged from one of those walks
Observations From a Stroll Through the Cemetery
Aged markers
denoting birth and death dates
don’t tell the full story.
A life full of experiences with
lessons learned and
legacies passed down--
all absent, yet implied.
If I could choose,
What one message would I have
etched into my stone?
Journaling Prompts:
I write to heal.
Early in my healing journey, my journal accompanied me everywhere I went so I could hear and process my thoughts as I put pen to paper. Often, those writings came through various writing prompts. If writing to heal resonates with you, consider using the following prompts to inspire your journaling.
Here are your prompts:
If I could choose, what one message would I have etched into my stone?
Think about a loved one who has passed and the legacy they left behind. What about their life stood out to you? What legacy do you want to leave?
What life lessons have you learned that you want to pass down to future generations?
My first poetry memoir, Barely a Whisper: poems from the heart of a woman re-becoming is available now!
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