'one Stone - Unknown'

you May-
think me odd    perhaps strange 
peculiar and off the wall-
but I
like to wander cemeteries

among    rows       on rows

I love the tranquility
there is a peace    like no other
where hidden birds sing melodies
and little creatures scurry
and time    stands still 

and I like to read inscriptions
on tombstones in the dappled sun
    or rain wet or snow covered
        gravestones monolith
            flagstones flat and small
                all the RIP inscriptions

among   rows    on rows

the relic stones     I do adore
those traces
of family history
faded now and obscure
covered in moss    some toppled over
I have to get close to read
    and even then it is a mystery

on a bright sunny day
camera in hand    journal ready
      my mind at peace
I noted    one stone    inscription
reading  U N K N O W N
this of all the stones    this broke my heart

among   rows    on rows

no name     no date     no record
no flowers ever I am sure
  no memorial of any kind
     a homeless man, perhaps
        or woman, maybe
              a baby unwanted     so sad

of all     the commemorative slabs
   the huge monuments with many names
with    beautiful words engraved
  of remembrance    with dates and names    

this unknown stone has broken my heart . . . 

____________________________
November 9, 2017

Poetry/Free Verse/'One Stone- Unknown'
Copyright Protected ID 17-9810-99-0
All Rights Reserved.  Written Under Pseudonym.


Submitted into the contest, 
Impress ME' With A New Poem
sponsor, A SKAT

Tenth Place
__________________________
Written for the contest, Two Word Challenge
sponsor, John Lawless

Second Place

deathinspirationfree verse

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Kai Michael Neumann

January 30, 2018 at 2:33 AM

You are not mad, but honour the dead, their beauty, misery, histories and misery. The last time I walked a cemetery in Istanbul, I stumbled on some bone and it was indeed a human femur...

Joanna Daniel

January 21, 2018 at 7:51 AM

This is very deep and sad, Constance, touching too, congratulations:)

Gregory Richard Barden

January 19, 2018 at 11:59 PM

Sincere congratulations on your well-deserved win, Constance, so very deep and emotional, with heart-wrenching sincerity and melancholy - blessings and keep up the wonderful work, my friend! :-) <3

Judith S

January 18, 2018 at 10:50 AM

My GOD this is soooo touching! An absolutely beautiful, heartbreaking write BW!! Really enjoyed this one. Congratulations on your win!! ~Judy

L. J. Carber

January 17, 2018 at 10:17 PM

Oh, I really enjoyed this poem-- because I too love to roam through a quiet cemetery, imagining the lives of all those who once lived in this world. Even the sadness you felt I experienced when I visited one particular cemetery where, for some unknown reason, all the infants who died are buried near the front entrance, in a long line as it were.

Andrea Dietrich

January 17, 2018 at 8:36 PM

Constance, I can see why this one was so special to you. I really liked the assonance of the title phrase and the way you used the "row upon row" refrain for emphasis. As Line says, this is very touching. a FAVE for me. Congrats on your win.