TWO GRAVES SIDE BY SIDE

Two graves side by side, 2 brothers, both children
caught in the the influenza epidemic of the early 1900's.
The influenza infected them and they never recovered.
There was no remedy.

We walk the country cemetery,to pay respect to the deceased,
stopping by each family headstone to say a few words above each grave,
recount each life as best remembered, recite a prayer.
Our Father, Hail Mary.

Toward the end of our walk,we come to these two graves,
visited last because it is so sad. Our family's youth cut down before they reached their prime.
Before they realized their potential as men.
What would they have become if given the chance.
in America everyone has a chance, why not these?

Now only these two headstones mark their memory.
The writing blurred by the elements and the passing of time. We can barely read their names.
How long before these too are erased. How long before no one is left to remember.

Their graves appear so small. Symbols of the brevity of their lives.
We only know their names and not their faces.
There were no photos taken then.

All we have left are these final resting places and the family's tale of who they were.
Yet there is not much known of how they were as boys.
What they were like and what their personalities were.
We only know them by their graves.

In parting, may they rest in peace. A peace substituted for the sadness
of their abbreviated lives.

They never had a chance to be
the men we wanted them to be.


© d.knape
April 25, 2017