Little boy who blew away on the wind… Your name forgotten to time.
Now you are only a broken remnant on a hill with a beautiful, graceful, cherubic face.
Who were you?… When were you?… Why has no one noticed you are not in your rightful place?
I shall remember you, I shall mourn you, I shall grieve your wounded flesh, and all shall be as it should.
For now you are Little Boy Blue, who blew away on a wind that wraps around me in a chill gust, settling to my shoulders the way your ill fitting gown lies upon your own.
Little Boy Blue can be visited at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Nyack, NY. He does not rest on a grave, but sits on a hill among other broken remnants of monuments from the past. The cemetery no longer knows where the statuary originated, but they do it justice by honoring this lost memory by not burying it as landfill – which all too often happens.
© Copyright 2013 Nina D’Arcangela. All Rights Reserved.
I’m doing the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge! Pop back everyday but Sunday through the month of April for a new letter prompt to spawn my deranged ramblings! ;}
Nina D'Arcangela
Sotet Angyal 
April 26th, 2013 at 10:54 am
This small yet evocative piece took me back to part of my childhood when I lived close to a cemetery. When I was in a more pensive mood I would look at the tombs with statuary and try to imagine what the people looked like as well as why and how they died.
I think that’s fascinating that they have these lost souls sitting up on the hill. But like you said, it’s better than junking the work. Thank you for spawning some fun memories.
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April 26th, 2013 at 10:59 am
On a side note, it would be amazing to have some land where you could rescue this kind of work and keep it for yourself. Imagine strolling through a group of lost sculptures under a bright moon…
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April 26th, 2013 at 5:52 pm
I often wonder who a person was when I’m wandering a cemetery, looking at the statuary that adorns a grave, or reading an old epitaph (btw – I’m having one, even though they are no longer in fashion!). Living across the street from an un-gated cemetery means I can wander over and walk through the monuments anytime I’d like, and I sometimes do. The grounds keeper doesn’t mind, and it is an extremely peaceful and relaxing experience. I have my favorites I always visit (like Little Boy Blue here), and others that draw my attention at different times. I would love to reclaim the unwanted/forgotten pieces for my (large and useless) yard, but somehow they all seem to belong where they are. Find me a grave yard, day or night, gated or not, and you’ll have a very hard time keeping me out of it. 😉
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April 26th, 2013 at 1:28 pm
What lovely inspiration. You make flowing writing seem effortless
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April 26th, 2013 at 5:54 pm
Hi Sue, Thank you!! Little Boy Blue is one of my favorite pieces at Oak Hill Cemetery – he seems so forlorn and lost, I couldn’t help but adopt him. Thank you for the compliment!!!
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April 26th, 2013 at 6:07 pm
Such a touching epitaph for a monument, Nina
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April 26th, 2013 at 6:14 pm
Thank you, Julie! Little Boy Blue needs someone to visit and care for him… and tell the world he existed. 🙂
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April 29th, 2013 at 9:35 am
Oh Nina, this is breathtaking! What a beautiful way in your own right to honor this lost memory…wow. Gorgeous writing, Nina!!! 🙂
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April 29th, 2013 at 9:56 am
Thank you, Joe! I actually wrote this one a long time ago. I hope Little Boy Blue sits on his hill long after I am gone, and that someone else will have the kindness to adopt him the way I have. 🙂
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