I once read an article on the old-fashioned trend
of picnicking in cemeteries
and thought myself macabre
for thinking I'd love it.
Then I realised it was something
I'd already done.
In fact, it was pretty common to picnic,
to hold Chinese auctions and some sorts of festivals
in the large local cemetery,
and I never stopped to question
why that might seem strange.
I sometimes wonder if this
was the start of my Gothicism,
why I'd find myself drawn to gravestones,
to the places where life meets death
in purgatorial limbo.
I remember talking to a man, Frank, who died,
but I'm still not sure if I merely remembered his name
from passing by or if he told me
where to find the spot where he laid.
I sometimes wonder if I too exist
in the in-between,
always so sick,
never quite living
to the fullest extent.
I wonder if that's why I'm drawn
to these cemeteries.
of picnicking in cemeteries
and thought myself macabre
for thinking I'd love it.
Then I realised it was something
I'd already done.
In fact, it was pretty common to picnic,
to hold Chinese auctions and some sorts of festivals
in the large local cemetery,
and I never stopped to question
why that might seem strange.
I sometimes wonder if this
was the start of my Gothicism,
why I'd find myself drawn to gravestones,
to the places where life meets death
in purgatorial limbo.
I remember talking to a man, Frank, who died,
but I'm still not sure if I merely remembered his name
from passing by or if he told me
where to find the spot where he laid.
I sometimes wonder if I too exist
in the in-between,
always so sick,
never quite living
to the fullest extent.
I wonder if that's why I'm drawn
to these cemeteries.
Juliette Sebock is the author of Mistakes Were Made and has work forthcoming or appearing in a wide variety of publications. She is the founding editor of Nightingale & Sparrow and runs a lifestyle blog, For the Sake of Good Taste. When she isn't writing (and sometimes when she is), she can be found with a cup of coffee and her cat, Fitz. Juliette can be reached on her website or across social media.
