The Recording of a Cemetery
by Thelma Greene Reagan

Today we walked where others walked
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried
For Loved Ones whose lives are stilled.

Today our hearts were touched
By graves of tiny babies;
Snatched from the arms of loving kin,
In a heartbreak of the ages.

Today we saw there the grandparents lay
In the last sleep of their time;
Lying under the trees and clouds -
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.

Today we wondered about an unmarked spot;
Who lied beneath this hollowed ground?
Was it a babe, child, young or old?
No indication could be found.

Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay.
We had been here once before
On a day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.

Today we recorded for kith and kin
The graves of ancestors past;
To be preserved for generations hence,
A record we hope will last.

Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend,
For stones sometimes crumble to dust
And generations of folks yet to come
Will be grateful for your trust.
__________________________________

Dear ancestor,

Your tombstone stands among the rest
Neglected and alone
The name & date are chiseled out
On polished marble stone
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn
You did not know that I'd exist
You died and I was born
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh in blood in bone
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own

Dear Ancestor the place you filled
One hundred years ago
Spreads out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so
I wonder if you lived and loved
I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot
And come to visit you

by Walter Butler Palmer

The Recording of a Cemetery
by Thelma Greene Reagan

Today we walked where others walked
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried
For Loved Ones whose lives are stilled.

Today our hearts were touched
By graves of tiny babies;
Snatched from the arms of loving kin,
In a heartbreak of the ages.

Today we saw there the grandparents lay
In the last sleep of their time;
Lying under the trees and clouds -
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.

Today we wondered about an unmarked spot;
Who lied beneath this hollowed ground?
Was it a babe, child, young or old?
No indication could be found.

Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay.
We had been here once before
On a day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.

Today we recorded for kith and kin
The graves of ancestors past;
To be preserved for generations hence,
A record we hope will last.

Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend,
For stones sometimes crumble to dust
And generations of folks yet to come
Will be grateful for your trust.
__________________________________

Dear ancestor,

Your tombstone stands among the rest
Neglected and alone
The name & date are chiseled out
On polished marble stone
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn
You did not know that I'd exist
You died and I was born
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh in blood in bone
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own

Dear Ancestor the place you filled
One hundred years ago
Spreads out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so
I wonder if you lived and loved
I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot
And come to visit you

by Walter Butler Palmer