8/14/2019 Gravedigging

1/4

GravediggingGravediggingGravediggingGravedigging

continuing the word mosaic seriescontinuing the word mosaic seriescontinuing the word mosaic seriescontinuing the word mosaic series

by Mary Ann Schaefer 2009by Mary Ann Schaefer 2009by Mary Ann Schaefer 2009by Mary Ann Schaefer 2009

Creation Notes: My friend and I had made a date to go out in the world

and look for inspiration. This assignment was both easy and hard!

After spending several hours viewing the Continental Divide (such an

obvious place to look for inspiration!), we were heading home with some

sense of disappointment. And then we spontaneously decided to stop at a

cemetery. We both understood this more unexpected moment as the

inspiration offering for that day.

After sitting with the many culturally-prescribed implications

associated with death, I found myself looking for alternate entry points

into the subject as a way of reaching for other meanings. The pieces in

this mosaic are part of that conjuring intention.

8/14/2019 Gravedigging

2/4

PPll aayyiinngg DDeeaadd AA MMeeddiittaattiioonn

FFaallll wwhheerree yyoouu aarree..

CCrruummppllee iinnttoo

aann aawwkkwwaarrddppoossiittiioonn..

SSttaayy ssttiillll,, ssoo

vveerryy,, vveerryy ssttiillll..

CClloossee yyoouurr eeyyeess

oorr ssttaarree uunnbblliinnkkiinngg

aatt nnootthhiinngg ffaarr aawwaayy..

HHoolldd yyoouurr bbrreeaatthh

iinnddeeffiinniitteellyy,, ddiissaalllloowwiinngg

yyoouurr cchheesstt ttoo sswweellll

aanndd eemmppttyy..

PPrreetteenndd uunnaawwaarreess

ttoo pprrooddss oorr sshhaakkiinngg,,

ddeeaaff ttoo wweeeeppiinngg oorr aappppeeaallssoorr ddaammnnaattiioonn..

WWaaiitt aanndd kkeeeepp

wwaaiittiinngg lliikkee aa vviiggiill

aass tthhee wwiinndd wwaasshheess

oovveerr yyoouu,, tthhee rraaiinn aanndd

ssnnooww,, tthhee ssuunn ccaassttiinngg

sshhaaddoowwss tthhaatt sshhiifftt

aanndd ssttrreettcchh ddaarrkkllyy

iinnttoo ssiilleennccee..

RReemmeemmbbeerr

nnootthhiinngg.. BBuurryy

yyoouurrsseellff iinnssiiddee..

DDooiinngg ssoo ccoouulldd ssaavvee yyoouurr lliiffee..

8/14/2019 Gravedigging

3/4

Obit

Briefly, I was

here where you

are now betweenearth and sky

inhabiting

a universe,

a forest,

flesh. The story

about who I was

and what happened,

how I ended

up here has

disappeared

but you canimagine. Today

of all days, you

turned toward and

parked, you pushed

open the iron

gate and crossed

into this field

purposefully

as if the hush

were calling

you too.

Is it accidental,

the seeming semblances attracting notice, the changing light streaming through

aperture, focusing in, reflective edges emerging from a dazzle of flecks

billowing across the viewfinder like starlings swarming

impossibly intelligently in washes of utter grace?

I remember now,

essence as form,

and being

survived

by you.

8/14/2019 Gravedigging

4/4

DeathbedDeathbedDeathbedDeathbedSometimes sleeping contradictsrest, especially when sheets seem

to tangle and confine, so wanderingout into the night bowl is like

releasing consciousness froma butterfly net. YYYooouuu dddooonnntttkkknnnooowww wwwhhhaaatttIIImmm tttaaalllkkkiiinnngggaaabbbooouuuttt,,, dddooo yyyooouuu??? YYYooouuu wwwaaannnttt

mmmeee tttooo ttteeellllllyyyooouuu wwwhhhaaatttttthhhiiisssmmmeeeaaannnsss??? GGGooo bbbaaaccckkk tttooo sssllleeeeeeppp... Meanwhile elsewhere,

the motion-detector lights

snap on suddenly, electrifyingshadows and flooding recesses,chasing some sizable creatureup and over the fence blink

blink, the glaring quietholds its breath pretendingto be nothing there. WWWhhhaaattt???YYYooouuu wwwaaannntttttthhhiiisss tttooo mmmaaakkkeee

ssseeennnssseee??? YYYooouuu wwwaaannnttttttooo ssskkkiiippptttooo ttthhheee eeennnddd??? WWWeeellllll,,, fffooorrrgggeeetttiiittt... Dreams can often escapeunnoticed like homeless

souls vacating a cemetery,otherwise the voicesmight loiter, might arouseafterthoughts so realistic

that slipping through skincould induce waking. GGGoooaaahhheeeaaaddd,,, llleeeaaavvveee ttthhhiiisss bbbeeehhhiiinnndddaaannndddrrreeessstttnnnooowww iiinnn pppeeeaaaccceee...