Boundaries of the Dead

Posted on October 3, 2015 by Maggie C

Low fences of concrete and iron
in varying degrees of sturdiness or collapse,
delineate gravesites and family plots
of a long-established and
long-neglected pioneer cemetery.

Whether they are meant to keep the living out,
or the spirits in, I’m not sure.
They seem inadequate for either task.

boundary2

As a child I wandered this place of the dead,
on Sundays, after I had escaped the
torturously long church service,
and before my parents finished
drinking burnt coffee and eating stale cookies
and were finally ready to take me home.

boundary1

Ever careful to avoid the mounds and divots
that belied a coffin underneath,
my imagination jumped at the chance
to interpret any slight cold breeze
that made the hanging moss sway, and
any crooked dead branch that
pointed at me like a bony accusatory finger,
as some displaced spirit,
disgruntled at my presence there.

boundary3

Was it disrespectful to enter the gates
of those family plots since I did not
belong to the family?
Was I overstepping the boundaries
of the long-departed when I
stepped over the fences
that parceled out their final resting places?

I guess I won’t find out the rules
for graveyard boundary etiquette
until I depart to my own final resting place.

boundary4

If you come to my gravesite
to pay your respects,
look for a bony tree-branch finger
beckoning you to draw near,
and wait for that cold breath of air to
whisper in your ear.
I will give you the answers
about the boundaries of the dead.
And then I will cross that final boundary,
where long-winded sermons,
burnt coffee, and stale cookies
can haunt me no more.

boundary5

Weekly Photo Challenge: Boundaries

About Maggie C

Stained glass artist, writer, respecter of life.
This entry was posted in photo challenge, Photography, poetry, weekly photo challenge and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

19 Responses to Boundaries of the Dead

  1. allentimphotos2 says:
    October 3, 2015 at 4:05 am

    Nice interpretation of this week’s photo challenge.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. jimholroyd365 says:
    October 3, 2015 at 4:45 am

    I don’t imagine the dead are bothered by your breaching the boundaries of their graves…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  4. Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge-Boundaries | WoollyMuses

  5. Heather says:
    October 3, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    Perfect interpretation of the boundary concept…especially for this time of year.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Tina Schell says:
    October 3, 2015 at 4:13 pm

    That looks like the charleston Magnolia Cemetery, is it? If so, it’s quite the photographers dream, isn’t it!?

    Like

    Reply
  7. snowsomewhere says:
    October 4, 2015 at 6:43 pm

    That last chapter gave me goosebumps

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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