So I have been trying to create art (photographic, literary, etc) each day as part of the Production League I have hit about 70% of the days in January. But I needed a place to put my literary work. So here it is. It was inspired and mostly written back in 1999 when I was in the Logan cemetery. But I thought I would drag it out and clean it up to be more readable. This was a time when I had graduated from BYU, been to Asia for 2 months, come back to find out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I was up in Logan for 1 week at school thinking about doing a teaching degree. After that week I came back and applied at ARUP, got married, went to pharmacy school, and the rest is history.
Cemetery in the Morning
Death, an inflated mosquito pressed flat, lifeless on my leg. Life – gone. One instant, feeding, flying… In a split second – death. What’s left?
A brother goes to college – once alive.
Split second – dead – who’s left – what remains?
A headstone – McLellan – parents (a few dates – numbers – what is said of their life?)
Parents – what’s left? Children’s lives – a better world – influences linger – people remember.
Their bodies lie still in the ground – an addition to the complex. Yet people still run, slave, and bury their souls for money. Is money keeping us alive?
A few numbers. A few numbers in the bank account – a few numbers – do they keep us alive? A few numbers to our name. A few numbers tell the dates we lived – a few numbers to our name.***
Our skin dies and falls off, forgotten – replaced by new life – new skin – new blood.
Parents, a few letters after the names – they toiled, slaved, and ran for the children – a few letters – parents – maybe even lose their life for.
People still run, slave, and toil for, maybe even lose their soul for money – CEO, PhD, MD, a few letters after their name. What’s gained – what’s lost?
The systems we live by – death – what’s left?
The systems of the soul – what are they?
Economic systems, political systems, judicial, academic, professional, spiritual systems.
Anatomical systems.
Systems, numbers, names, - what do we live for? What do we leave?
2 comments:
Brightened up my day - Thanks.
(Especially the part about the skin falling off)
Really like this. Especially the questions you have running through it.
Truly introspective. Well done!
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