Remains

I came here for sanctuary

Away from the winds and sounds of the city

I came here to get some peace

Way down deep where the shadows are heavy

Cemeteries and graveyards have a reputation for being "creepy."

They are considered to be depressing, dark, and uncomfortable places.

Places where death stares us in the face.

I haven't admitted this out loud, but I find blissful peace in the cemetery my friend is buried in.

The sight where she is buried is my go-to place if I can't breathe, or if I'm bored, or if life is getting to me.

I enjoy driving there and standing among the grave stones.

and I know to some of you, that sounds extremely odd.

Even I wonder about it myself. 

Why do I find such comfort in a place where hundreds of dead men, women, and children reside deep below my feet?

Though there are times when I do feel uncomfortable, like yesterday when I nearly walked right over a fresh grave.

It made me nauseous and I quickly walked around the new soil and made a bee line for my car.

What made me feel sick the most wasn't in the cemetery.

It was today when I was walking around my block.

Halloween is just around the corner.

One particular house caught my eye. 

Gravestone decorations were in the front yard. 

Skeletons, skulls, and half of their bodies peeped out from the ground.

It looked as if they were climbing out of their graves in pain and anguish.

I stopped in my tracks.

I froze.

I stared at their grimacing faces.

I winced as I saw jokes were written on their stones.

 Fake blood was on their bones.  

It was a punch in the stomach.

I broke into pieces as it hit me.

My friend is a skeleton.

A real skeleton.

Someone I used to laugh with and have sleepovers with.

Someone I got in trouble at school with.

Someone I had secrets with.

She's a rotting skeleton.

I know Halloween is a holiday that is all about good fun, but these decorations tore me apart.

For people who have lost children, friends, and loved ones...

I couldn't help but wonder.

What do they think of all the gory Halloween decorations?

How do they view the skulls and the bones?  

What do they think of the grave stones?

 

I don't want to rest in peace

I'd rather be the ghost who annoys you

I hope you can make me laugh

Six feet down when we're bored of each other

I am in love with the thought of life after death.

I believe there IS life after death.

I don't know what kind of life...but there is definitely something.

I was watching the film the Corpse Bride with my friend and it got me thinking...

Imagine how our worlds would change. 

If ghosts or angels do exist how would you spend your days?

We could fly.

We could walk through walls.

We could prank the living.

We could have another life and be together with our loved ones who have passed.

Recently a story hit the news.

Two 6,000 year old skeletons were found in a loving embrace.

No one knows their story, but endless things could be written about them.

We are all going to die someday.

We will all become skeletons at some point.

Perhaps our life stories will be told.

Perhaps we will be able to whisper them ourselves to the world we used to live in.

The things my friend and I could get away with when I join her as a ghost!

Author's Note

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

A ghost?
"I don't want to rest in peace
I'd rather be the ghost who annoys you
I hope you can make me laugh
Six feet down when we're bored of each other"
I tell my kids. I shall haunt them. I enjoyed the tale and the wishes. Thank you for sharing the excellent story.
Coyote

[AaronFreitas]

This is an awesome and deep write. I really like the way you talk about how you go to the cemetery and you feel at piece, yet you see graves and decorations in a yard and it hits you. That is powerful. When reading this I couldn't help but thing of a story I just read. A man had dead body hanging from his fence and people assumed it was a decoration for Halloween until they realized it was actually a dead body. Anyways... I enjoyed your write and your thoughts :)

[wordman]

hallowed -ween is not a holiday,we see it as one but it is based on satan ,the bodies in the cemeteries
are long gone to heaven,yes bones are left but they will be re created to be the new body of the spirit
nothing to fear,it should be a peaceful place