The Truly Dead

I sat in the cemetery yesterday eating my sandwich while watching four guys fill in a grave.

It must have been shortly after the burial ceremony.

There was a backhoe there that had already dealt with most of the soil. The fours guys were shoveling, raking, tamping down - making the grave presentable.

They were talking and laughing as they did this, which I have no problem with. They were doing their jobs - no disrespect was meant. And maybe to a certain extent that is the best way to deal with a job that regularly puts you in the company of the dead.

I have often said, and I mean this seriously - if I could get a job as a gravedigger I would do it. I would prefer it to be old school - start to finish- but those days are gone. If I could be one of those guys, tending to fresh graves, and my only other responsibilities were to take care of the cemetery grounds - I would be content.

But, again - those days are gone. These guys deal with public parks etc - places where there are actual living people. How very hideous.

In the past few months I have driven past burial ceremonies in progress, families and friends gathered around the coffin. I have seen people tending to gravesites and gravestones. I have heard people talking to those who are buried.

I have come to realize there is a large number of people who walk through the cemetery on their lunch breaks. Many who jog through the place. There are many older people who walk through, using their canes for support, setting a leisurely and contemplative pace.

This pleases me. It is a peaceful place.

I got out of my car yesterday and walked around a bit, as I often do, admiring gravestones and looking for my White Whale - the elusive Testa headstone. Haven't found it yet, but there are a hell of a lot left to investigate.

As I approached my car a guy jogged towards me and said "Beautiful day. Wish I could move my desk outdoors." A normal remark takes on a deeper meaning in a cemetery. I am happy to talk to people there.

When the fours guys were done with the grave, one of them spread grass seed. That was such a hopeful thing to me, to do in that setting. To stimulate growth - life - over a final resting spot felt like fighting back against death a little bit.

The last thing he did was pick up the wreaths and flowers from the funeral ceremony and gently lay them on top of the grave. It was obvious to me that he did it with respect.

I left reluctantly to return to the land of the living.

Frankly, in this situation - I get more from the truly dead than I do from the walking dead.