LJ/DW Idol, Week 12: Topic: America

[adoptedwriter]

Sacred

 

Silent, sleeping meadow

Weathered, creaky gates welcome visitors 

Unmown grass, oaks, poplars, and maples frame the field

July sun beats down from above

Breeze is slight

 

Large and small stones dot the land

Some tall and proud

Some crumbled and weathered 

lichen drooling down the sides

Telling stories 

Of beginnings and ends

We fill in missing story gaps with imaginings or hearsay

“Sacred” 

 

Unknown occupants young and old call out in voiceless messages:

“Sacred”.

Weary fathers, young mothers, angel babies, the aged, soldiers, immigrants, pioneers who foraged and sacrificed for opportunity 

They all have something to say

Lessons, legends lamentations 

Of histories both personal and universal 

“Sacred”

 

They are us; we are them. 

They gave; we take

They built; we improve

They labored; we progress

They fought; we still fight 

They died; we carry on

Ancestors

What would they think of us now? 

 

“Sacred”

https://adoptedwriter.dreamwidth.org/file/200x200/10781.jpg

(If this is hard to see, the headstone belongs to one of my husband's ancestors, Amos Strickland. He died at age 9. The top reads, "Sacred".
The 2 stones in the background are also ancestors. We went grave-hunting on July 4th!


 

Comments

[erulissedances]

Interesting. Our ancestries are so very different. Still, in many ways, those memories and those who were before, are indeed sacred.

- Erulisse (one L)

[adoptedwriter]

Hub's people go back to the Revolution. Thanks for stopping by!

[roina_arwen]

Very interesting - thanks for sharing!

[adoptedwriter]

Thank you!

[drippedonpaper]

Very beautiful! A good reminder to keep on, others found hope and we can too.

Hugs!

[adoptedwriter]

Hugs! Thanks! Yes, that’s pretty much the message here.

[bleodswean]

Oh! I like this very much! And illustrated, too! I think you've captured some very common and universal graveyard thoughts.

[adoptedwriter]

Yeah! I figured out how to add a photo! LOL Thanks!

[mollywheezy]

This is absolutely beautiful and moved me to tears!

[adoptedwriter]

Wow! Thanks so much!

[banana_galaxy]

Given how some people seem to be interpreting words of the country's founding fathers, I think it would be interesting to see what they actually think of what the country has become. But other ancestors, too, who built and died for this country.

[adoptedwriter]

Exactly! Thanks!

[d0gs.livejournal.com]

I love history, so learning about ancestry is always really interesting to me. It's so cool that your husband is a descendant of Amos Strickland! This was so well written and the voice so clear!

[adoptedwriter]

Thanks! My ancestors like that are too far away to go "visit", but his are all local / within one hour. so it's pretty cool.

Your entry posted on LJ

[adoptedwriter]

I got a Hunger Games vibe off your entry. Well-told. I could see Ivanka Trump! Well told and very engaging.

[ofearthandstars]

You really capture the essence of the cemetery here. I love old cemeteries but don't get to visit very many. I particularly liked the line Unknown occupants young and old call out in voiceless messages:

[adoptedwriter]

Thanks!

[favoritebean_writes]

This is a great take on the prompt.

[adoptedwriter]

Thanks!

[static_abyss]

I love your descriptions and those connections at the end between the past and the present. Well done!

[adoptedwriter]

Thanks so much!

[dadi]

I really like this <3

[adoptedwriter]

Thanks!

[alycewilson]

I hope to make it back to some cemeteries containing relatives within the next year or so, after taking a break from all those in-person journeys. A creative take on the prompt!

[adoptedwriter]

Thanks!