By Liz Barnes
The cemetery has artwork
For the dead on display,
“Here lies poor Jimmy who has passed away”
There are some headstones
Which shine bright as a pin,
Displaying photos of who lie within.
Or graves of the children
Strewn with old favourite toys,
A sad reminder of the once girls and boys
The plots once tended with
Such love and care,
Now sit neglected in sad dis-repair
Some little graves
Swallowed by leaves and by grass
Time dilutes sadness, and grief it will pass
Double plots loom
With room for 1 more
The partner now waits
To walk through death’s door
Mighty tombstones towering erect at the head,
Thousands spent there,
Honouring their dead.
A small wooden cross,
Atop a freshly filled grave,
Even once dead you can spend or can save.
The reality of knowing a once living soul,
Now represented with a stone and a hole
Is a wake up call to all that are here,
Death is the fate that all of us share.
These lines were written on one of my many visits to the Maunu cemetery.
This poem was generously shared with Go With Grace, as part of Dying Matters Week 2024. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful words.
