Experience Writing Prompt: DEEP IN THE FOREST
Deep in the forest of marble and stone, the first thing that caught my eye as we drove through the cemetery was an upright grave monument that looked like it was about to fall over.
It was ornate and looked well cared for- all except for the fact that the ground under it was having issues and the monument was collapsing.
I decided to grab a picture of it because the light and the leaves were beautiful, and as I carefully walked around it I saw a tribute to a wife, her husband and to their daughter:
Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023
Maria was the only child of Amia and Lyman and she died when she was only 26.
She was never married, she had no children. She died in 1867.
Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023
Her father followed her in death 29 years later at age 81
Oakwood Cemetery Beaver Dam WI
Amia followed her husband 11 years later and at this point I thought that had Maria lived would have been 66 years old the year her Mother died. She may have even been a grandmother.
Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023
- As I walked around the monument I saw three grave covers. My son leaned down to brush away some leaves and he stood up, and told me that the covers were metal.
- I was intrigued by the placement of the monument – it was placed at the foot of the graves instead of at the head- and I was curious about the material.
- I was also curious why the oldest cover was in such good shape and the most recent was not.
- So I did a little research into Beaver Dam’s history and learned that the monuments were made of Zinc or ” White Bronze ” ( you can read about it HERE ) .
Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023
Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023
Photo A.M. Moscoso
Oakwood Cemetery
Beaver Dam WI
October 2023
On that bright Fall morning, in that cemetery far away from where I live, I explored a forest made of marble and stone and it was decorated with leaves of red and gold.