A little poem found years ago(1986)COUNTRY GRAVEYARD by Mary Louise CHEATAM "We crossed the fields with trepidation, passing at mouths of rocky glades; We walked in the fields, grown white with pappus, Avoiding the groves and the tattered shades. But we felt the sunlight, weird as shadow, though we followed the field, to avoid the wood. Our hilltop guide was a black limbed maple. We reached the spot where the farm once stood. We left strange heel marks, earth-crust broken, where only cattle were wont to tread; Climbed to the crest with no word spoken and stopped by the graves that hold our dead. There was only silence of life departed, And only memories woke and stirred. We heard old sobs of the broken hearted, and once the cry of some wild bird.

What a wonderful poem, Samuel. It reads like it could have come out of the "hobbit"--its kinda dark. I like it. On Oct 5, 2007, at 7:31 AM, samuels wrote: > A little poem found years ago(1986)COUNTRY GRAVEYARD by Mary Louise > CHEATAM > > "We crossed the fields with trepidation, passing at mouths of rocky > glades; > We walked in the fields, grown white with pappus, Avoiding the > groves and > the tattered shades. But we felt the sunlight, weird as shadow, > though we > followed the field, to avoid the wood. Our hilltop guide was a > black limbed > maple. We reached the spot where the farm once stood. We left > strange heel > marks, earth-crust broken, where only cattle were wont to tread; > Climbed to > the crest with no word spoken and stopped by the graves that hold > our dead. > There was only silence of life departed, And only memories woke and > stirred. We heard old sobs of the broken hearted, and once the cry > of some > wild bird. > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MO-CEMETERIES- > request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message

Thank you for sharing this lovely poem. It describes almost perfectly an October trip I made to Missouri several years ago-to Old Smyrna Cemetery. The cemetery, over grown and long forgotten, is located in the middle of a pasture. My 2nd great grandfather, Elias Frey, was buried there in 1869. The cemetery was originally located next to Old Smyrna Church but it was destroyed many years ago. Elaine Jenkins wrote: > What a wonderful poem, Samuel. It reads like it could have come out > of the "hobbit"--its kinda dark. I like it. > On Oct 5, 2007, at 7:31 AM, samuels wrote: > > >> A little poem found years ago(1986)COUNTRY GRAVEYARD by Mary Louise >> CHEATAM >> >> "We crossed the fields with trepidation, passing at mouths of rocky >> glades; >> We walked in the fields, grown white with pappus, Avoiding the >> groves and >> the tattered shades. But we felt the sunlight, weird as shadow, >> though we >> followed the field, to avoid the wood. Our hilltop guide was a >> black limbed >> maple. We reached the spot where the farm once stood. We left >> strange heel >> marks, earth-crust broken, where only cattle were wont to tread; >> Climbed to >> the crest with no word spoken and stopped by the graves that hold >> our dead. >> There was only silence of life departed, And only memories woke and >> stirred. We heard old sobs of the broken hearted, and once the cry >> of some >> wild bird. >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MO-CEMETERIES- >> request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes >> in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MO-CEMETERIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > >