Susan, I am reading your past newsletters and I am obsessed with the tomb of the seated man. Do you know anything about him? My mind is a newsreel of flashes of his life and death. Macabre, you bet!
For you, your photograph that has utterly bewitched me, and the corpse in the chair:
Beneath skies that clutch secrets in their expanse,
He sits, his gaze cast in an eternal trance,
A guardian in bronze, his silent glance
Holds vigil where mysteries dance.
Wrapped in the silence of bygone clout,
A figure once led with command, no doubt,
Now caught in stillness, under the sky's shroud,
His story a breath, unsung and not loud.
A tree, dark sentinel, shares his space,
Guarding the lore of the man's silent grace,
Bending near, as if to embrace
The quiet guardian of this solemn place.
His hands lie quiet, but hold a tale,
In a theater of silence where shadows prevail,
His life a play, beyond the pale,
Mingling with the hush, a hidden veil.
No verses to voice the echo of his days,
No blooms soften the stone’s unyielding ways,
Only an enigma, in a man's twisted plays,
Where the tangible and ghostly in obscurity stays.
More than a statue, a narrative concealed,
A keeper of dreams, through him revealed,
In the wax and wane of light, unconcealed,
His dominion of silence, in bronze sealed.
He watches, unyielding, through the cosmic ballet,
I walk in a historical cemetery every day--there's one just past a field behind our house. My husband and I go with the dog and often the kids. I love the feeling of eternity. It always makes me feel settled and uplifted and, like you, I adore reading the names and dedications. I feels like traveling back in time and also makes me reflect on how I want to be remembered. A good start to the day :)
I'm so happy you share my feelings, Isabel. These green spaces are to be respected and cherished... not only for those who rest there, but for those of us who feel the calming vibes they can provide. Have a great day!
Susan Niemann: As usual with you, beautiful photography and moving narrative.
My well-loved wife, Nancy, comes from Wabash, Indiana where the obelisk in the Friends Cemetary memorializes both her ancestor, Uriah Engleman (1828-1904), as well as a baby in Nancy's mom's generation who survived only months.
Plus, we all know the Honeywell Corporation. The Honeywells came from Wabash, Indiana, and the Friends Cemetary has generations of Honeywell graves.
We share the heritage among our children with the photos.
Great photos, Susan! There’s an old cemetery in Palmyra, behind the Moravian Church. It isn’t very big, but the older stones are very interesting. Some are illegible, but others have family names that still exist in the church. There aren’t any plantings or monuments, just individual graves. I’ve often looked around, just to get a sense of the history.
What a unique hobby you have Susan. One of the cemeteries here is called Oak Grove. There are generations of my family members buried there, Doug's as well, that's where we'll both be when our time comes. Like the cemetery that you visit there are mausoleums for the wealthy. This cemetery dates back to at least the late 1700s or early 1800s.
You can go biking, jogging, speed walking. It's so peaceful and the headstones and monuments. The tall trees. The babbling brooks. It's wonderful. I don't tell too many people tho. After the You are weird comment. I learned to keep it to myself. Plus, I don't need it to become too crowded out there.
Cemeteries are fascinating. I like exploring for veterans' monuments. Many have been forgotten and neglected. Good on you for restoring that cemetery. ( Kick ass photography, as usual! 😄😄)
Thank you. 😄. Mount Moriah also has their Naval Asylum-I think over 2000 veterans are buried there. The Wreaths Across America ceremony in December is very moving. ✌️
I saved a small cemetery a few years ago. We had this semi-trailer lot we were mowing and in it was a small cemetery that had been neglected. There were graves of several Union Army veterans. I cleaned it up and maintained it for about a year. I called the American Legion and the County Historical Society to make sure they were aware of it and that they decorated the grave sites on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. To this day, they take care of it.
Charlie that’s fantastic! That’s such a Great feeling. When I would be working at Mount Moriah I would help people find their loved ones and sometimes they would start crying and thank me. Emotional but certainly worthwhile.
Yes they are peaceful places! As kids and teens they often were a place to wander - you can tell how old I am by the freedom we had to wander as kids😁PS we have the same taste in music😈🤘🏼
Susan, I am reading your past newsletters and I am obsessed with the tomb of the seated man. Do you know anything about him? My mind is a newsreel of flashes of his life and death. Macabre, you bet!
For you, your photograph that has utterly bewitched me, and the corpse in the chair:
Beneath skies that clutch secrets in their expanse,
He sits, his gaze cast in an eternal trance,
A guardian in bronze, his silent glance
Holds vigil where mysteries dance.
Wrapped in the silence of bygone clout,
A figure once led with command, no doubt,
Now caught in stillness, under the sky's shroud,
His story a breath, unsung and not loud.
A tree, dark sentinel, shares his space,
Guarding the lore of the man's silent grace,
Bending near, as if to embrace
The quiet guardian of this solemn place.
His hands lie quiet, but hold a tale,
In a theater of silence where shadows prevail,
His life a play, beyond the pale,
Mingling with the hush, a hidden veil.
No verses to voice the echo of his days,
No blooms soften the stone’s unyielding ways,
Only an enigma, in a man's twisted plays,
Where the tangible and ghostly in obscurity stays.
More than a statue, a narrative concealed,
A keeper of dreams, through him revealed,
In the wax and wane of light, unconcealed,
His dominion of silence, in bronze sealed.
He watches, unyielding, through the cosmic ballet,
A sovereign of stillness where darkness sways,
His realm a canvas for the mind's foray
Into the quiet mystery that his gaze portrays.
I walk in a historical cemetery every day--there's one just past a field behind our house. My husband and I go with the dog and often the kids. I love the feeling of eternity. It always makes me feel settled and uplifted and, like you, I adore reading the names and dedications. I feels like traveling back in time and also makes me reflect on how I want to be remembered. A good start to the day :)
I'm so happy you share my feelings, Isabel. These green spaces are to be respected and cherished... not only for those who rest there, but for those of us who feel the calming vibes they can provide. Have a great day!
Susan Niemann: As usual with you, beautiful photography and moving narrative.
My well-loved wife, Nancy, comes from Wabash, Indiana where the obelisk in the Friends Cemetary memorializes both her ancestor, Uriah Engleman (1828-1904), as well as a baby in Nancy's mom's generation who survived only months.
Plus, we all know the Honeywell Corporation. The Honeywells came from Wabash, Indiana, and the Friends Cemetary has generations of Honeywell graves.
We share the heritage among our children with the photos.
Thank you for your spirituality and your sharing.
I thought I was the only one. So much beauty and history, and peace, at least to me.
Great photos, Susan! There’s an old cemetery in Palmyra, behind the Moravian Church. It isn’t very big, but the older stones are very interesting. Some are illegible, but others have family names that still exist in the church. There aren’t any plantings or monuments, just individual graves. I’ve often looked around, just to get a sense of the history.
Thanks Sharon! A cemetery doesn’t have to have big mausoleums to be interesting! The history is captivating!
What a unique hobby you have Susan. One of the cemeteries here is called Oak Grove. There are generations of my family members buried there, Doug's as well, that's where we'll both be when our time comes. Like the cemetery that you visit there are mausoleums for the wealthy. This cemetery dates back to at least the late 1700s or early 1800s.
Oooh… awesome! As I write this I’m just leaving Laurel hill in Philadelphia!
Holy moly, I think I need to start doing this.
Nobody will bother you.
Yes! And it’s wonderful! 😀
You can go biking, jogging, speed walking. It's so peaceful and the headstones and monuments. The tall trees. The babbling brooks. It's wonderful. I don't tell too many people tho. After the You are weird comment. I learned to keep it to myself. Plus, I don't need it to become too crowded out there.
Cemeteries are fascinating. I like exploring for veterans' monuments. Many have been forgotten and neglected. Good on you for restoring that cemetery. ( Kick ass photography, as usual! 😄😄)
Thank you. 😄. Mount Moriah also has their Naval Asylum-I think over 2000 veterans are buried there. The Wreaths Across America ceremony in December is very moving. ✌️
I saved a small cemetery a few years ago. We had this semi-trailer lot we were mowing and in it was a small cemetery that had been neglected. There were graves of several Union Army veterans. I cleaned it up and maintained it for about a year. I called the American Legion and the County Historical Society to make sure they were aware of it and that they decorated the grave sites on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. To this day, they take care of it.
Charlie that’s fantastic! That’s such a Great feeling. When I would be working at Mount Moriah I would help people find their loved ones and sometimes they would start crying and thank me. Emotional but certainly worthwhile.
We have several historical cemeteries within an hour of Columbus. It's ones last foothold on earth.
Nicely put. ❤️
Thank you.😘
Yes they are peaceful places! As kids and teens they often were a place to wander - you can tell how old I am by the freedom we had to wander as kids😁PS we have the same taste in music😈🤘🏼
Same here! I like to think of cemeteries as safe spots… at least they used to be! Rock on! 🎸🎶