Claremont, California

Rest in Peace:  'Rest in Peace' became so much a part of the cemetery's linguistic landscape that you didn't even need to spell it out. R.I.P. was known to everyone. The long poem on this headstone is another part of the linguistic landscape, common everywhere but with more recent roots. It begins: "If tears could build a stairway...." Oak Park Cemetery. [2015]

Cynthiana, Kentucky

Pop Poetry on Cemetery Landscapes:  "If tears could build a stairway" takes advantage of every opportunity to be seen in cemeteries across the land: plaques, tiles, headstones, banners, and, here, benches. In this rendition, though, the words have changed slightly, and theologically for the better: "I'd Walk Right Up to Heaven, To See You Again." There's no reference to bringing a loved one back again; that would be contravening God's will. Cherry Grove Cemetery. [2015]