new thread
About 10 or 11 years ago (the trench coat was my 21st birthday present from my parents, and I'm 32 now), I decided it would be fun to drive out with a friend of mine, to a cemetary my High School bus used to pass by, and take some Poloroids of me in various poses. During the trip back to my house, I was flipping through the shots we took, and noticed that, if assembled in a particular order, they could tell a story. So, I wrote a poem about a man who's tired of living. Rather than committing suicide, he visits a cemetary to pray to God for release, and his prayer is answered. I wrote a verse for each photograph. The last shot is of my spirit taking off toward Heaven. The effect was achieved by having my friend take the picture immediately after I lept off the tombstone I was standing on.
Sadly, I've misplaced the mini-scrapbook I put the project together with, but I still have the pictures. I digitized them shortly after my wife and I got our first flatbed scanner. I thought it would be fun to share them with all of you. Notice how short my hair was then.
hehehe
Enjoy!
Very interesting to say the least. I often find myself to enjoy a trip to a cemetary just to enjoy the quiet once in a while and just see if there are any familiar names. Where my grandpa is burried there's a few Civil War graves and The Sundance Kid (I hope you know but if not yes, from Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid) is burried there. Then not too far at Montgomery Cemetary is burried General Winfield Scott Hancock who was almost Democratic president but was trumped by...one of those...other guys...hmmm. Anywho, he also saved the Union center at Gettysburg. There's also General Zook who was killed at Gettysburg. General Hartramft who did a great deal of good for Pennsylvania when he was governor. Lastly, among a few random graves there's one for a James Levi I think, something like that. Why is he important? No, he didn't invent the jeans or anything but one night when he was on picket duty he stops a general and staff, the general being General Ambrose Burnside, he was the head of the Union Army and here's some private arresting him because Burnside forgot the password. Ach, I get too far off track!
I live in Bethlehem,Pa. and we have this really old cemetary here where The Last Mohican is "supposedly" buried. Everyone around here says that he's buried here, but I have not seen the tomb for myself.
The most interesting grave yards for me are the ones that are no longer being maintained. I know a couple places where the grave yards are on national park land. The park was formed by condemning the land, which killed the community.
The people are dead. Those who tended their graves are dead. The community they came from is dead.
When you visit such a place, you see death on so many different levels.
That's so beautiful...
Nice photos, and I love the grave atmosphere. Looks like something I would do hehehe. Awesome Artistic photos, and this is coming from an Artist :)
nice to see, you as as a so-called native american see no need to respect the dead!
I do not disrespect the dead, I am fascinated with the dead. Ghosts, Spirits, Corpses, Poltergeists, etc. Think about something before you open your mouth. Who are you to judge me anyway? I am a Native-American, and I am not a so-called. Nyghtfall wasn't disrespecting the dead in those pics. People like you make me sick, and can't see the Art behind things. If he was disrespecting the dead, he would be digging bodies up, and bashing tombstones. Clearly was he doing anything bad in those pics? One more racial slur torwards me, and you will see why I am calle "Insane" Dwayne. You say I disrespected the dead, but you don't see you just disrespected a race.
Some good points, Dwayne. Don't get too upset - it's peoples nature to question things like that... and to assume that since you are of a certain heritage that you will automatically believe everything that is stereotyped therein.
Don't let it get to you. I have to hold in comments all the time, suffering from eczema and having to leave the house looking like a leper. I get offensive comments all the time. But remember, they're more of a test of your character than any attack against it.
Stay strong.
wolfeyes
yes, stay strong!
Real native americans dont disrespect the dead or their elders, if you were really one youd know that!
(now you can whine all you want, if you want a real discussion go and talk to some of your native american family, Im sure theyve already told you the same thing, but you just wont listen will you? thats why you flood this board)
End of Discussion- I wont waste(anymore) words with a hypocrite.
Nobody's forcing you to read or post on this board... and frankly I'd rather you didn't with that attitude.
wolfeyes
Maybe with so much respect for the dead you forgot about respect for the living... I would understand your reaction, though not support it, if he were dancing on their graves and cursing them... but I don't believe there is anything wrong with sharing some private time with the silence of a cemetary.
wolfeyes
That was very rude. Didn't your parents teach you manners? Never thought I'd hear myself use that line but try to treat other people with the respect you'd like from them.
wolfeyes
Thanks. It was a fun afternoon. I love cemetaries.
One of my favorite pastimes is to try and find the oldest graves in any cemetary I visit. It makes me wonder about the history of the cemetaries, and how the dead lived their lives before passing on.
Some day I think I'd like to start doing etchings of tombstones. I would love to have a permanent record of the cemetaries I visit.
n/t
I'm sure you meant no disrespect... but some people would be offended by seeing strangers stepping around on their relatives grave stones and such... If I went out and someone was laying around on my grandfather's tombstone, they would be leaving without there front teeth...
Hey great pictures. I visit my local cemtery often myself. I dont know why but I just love cemeteries. It puts me in a peaceful state of mind yet it still makes me wonder about the past lives of people.
