“ Take time to wander the grounds of the Cemetery without expectation , with reverent curiosity and a map in your pocket .”
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LETTERS TO MOUNT AUBURN
“ Take time to wander the grounds of the Cemetery without expectation , with reverent curiosity and a map in your pocket .”
— Suzanne McDermott
Meditation at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Today I walked among the stones ,
beneath the boughs , above the bones .
I read the names and checked the dates
on marble , granite , quartz and slate .
I memorized some names of trees
by flower , bark and shape of leaf .
I pressed my palms against a beech
while crushing mushrooms underneath .
A crow harassed a red-tailed hawk
above the whistles , calls and squawks
of warblers , wrens and orioles ,
sparrows , finches , vireos .
And as I walked along ,
I whispered prayers to dear ones
now long gone , long gone .
Was I just talking to myself ?
What does it matter ,
who can tell ?
And in the spice of lilac air ,
pulling soft blossoms from my hair ,
I wandered ‘ round Lake Halcyon
and wondered where the dead had gone .
When breath deserts the frame of home
with some regret and undertone ,
perhaps it sings a song that sounds
like a seed exploding underground .
Today I walked among the stones …
© 1996 Suzanne McDermott / Drexel Road Music ( ASCAP ) All Rights Reserved
suzannemcdermott . com
Watercolor by Suzanne McDermott
Listen to meditation at Mount Auburn Cemetery online at : https :// youtu . be / ENXw3EVXWlo
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