The Recording of a Cemetery

                                                       Mount Calvary, Albuquerque, NM

I found this poem that expresses so well what we all feel when we write, transcribe and walk a cemetery.  The poem is by Thelma C. Reagan.  Enjoy it!

Today we walked where others walked
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried
For loved ones whose lives are stilled.
Today our hearts were touched
By graves of tiny babies;
Snatched from the arms of loving kin,
In the heartbreak of the ages.
Today we saw where the grandparents lay
In the last sleep of their time;
Lying under the trees and clouds,
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.

Today we wondered about an unmarked spot;
Who lies beneath this hallowed ground?
Was it a baby, child, young or old?
No indication can be found.

Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay,
We had been here once before
On a day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.

Today we recorded for kith and kin
The graves of ancestors past,
To be preserved for generations hence,
A record we hope will last.
Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend,
For stones sometimes crumble to dust
And generations of folks yet to come
Will be grateful for your trust.

Thank you to everyone in this group that works very hard to preserve our future by honoring our past.

                                                 Encino Cemetery, Encino, New Mexico