Unknown tombstone

I love visiting cemeteries. They are so peaceful and, well, quiet.

I enjoy roaming the grounds, reading the inscriptions on the stones, and creating life stories in my mind. For some reason it's jarring to come across a plot that is overgrown with brambles.

Curiously, the plot was surrounded by a sturdy metal fence, erected by grieving family or mandated by a solidary individual prior to death? Gazing at the forgotten plot, I was struck by the fragility of life. We are mere dust, here one day and withering as grass in a desert the next.

At about the same time my hubby and I visited a nearby cemetery, the newly formed writing group I belong to threw out a writing prompt which inspired a poem. The prompt? It was a photo of a headstone marked "Unknown." Here are the words I jotted down:

Unknown

One trillion stars ignite the night sky.

None bear your name.

Planetary bodies move through galaxies.

None mark the time of your passing.

Your moments measured by scars.

Your heart alone. Unknown.