Platteville, Colorado

Voices from the Grave ~ First Person Singular Subjective Case:  "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to take."  With a universally popular (though slightly modified) bedtime prayer, a month of "perpendicular pronouns" comes to an end. If you still haven't figured out the meaning of perpendicular pronouns, think about "I." When people walk the earth, they are perpendicular to the surface. However, when they lie beneath the sod, they're not so perpendicular anymore. From their graves, though, their voices can still be heard: thanks to their burial memorials. Mizpah Cemetery. [2013]

Springfield, Massachusetts

Voices from the Grave ~ First Person Singular Subjective Case:  "I did it my way."  Since the 1960s, the 'My Way' song has become a perennial favorite, so it is probably not surprising to find it showing up in cemeteries all over the United States. Oak Grove Cemetery. [2013]

Robertsdale, Alabama

Voices from the Grave ~ First Person Singular Subjective Case:  "I have never had it so good." Common are the assertions that the departed are in a better place. Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery. [2017]

Jefferson City, Missouri

Voices from the Grave ~ First Person Singular Subjective Case:  "I was watching from a window in heaven. You seem so close yet so far. I could see teardrops falling that you shed for me. I saw you crying, calling out my name. I wanted to hold you, tell you I'm OK. No tears will fall in heaven. Teardrops aren't welcome up here. No tears will fall in heaven. There's no sorrow, there's no pain. God wiped my tears away." Hawthorn Memorial Garden. [2015]

South Windsor, Connecticut

Voices from the Grave ~ First Person Singular Subjective Case:  "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." Those are the words of Booker T. Washington (who overcame many obstacles), but they have been adopted by a young man (or one of his survivors) who chose them to summarize his life on earth, along with these words: "Yes, I overcame and life was great! BOOYAH!" Wapping Cemetery. [2009]

Duncannon, Pennsylvania

Voices from the Grave ~ First Person Singular Subjective Case:  "With all my tattoos I know I scared people, but that's how I am. With all my piercings that's how I am. With my belt between my legs that's how people know who I am. I am with my color hair that's how I stand out. With my outfits people look at me weird but that's how I stand out one more time. Just say with me that's just how I am." Duncannon Cemetery. [2014]

Virginia City, Nevada

Voices from the Grave ~ First Person Singular Subjective Case:  "In perfect health I left my home. Not thinking that my race was run. But as flowers grow, so they decay. And sudden death snatched me away." He was only 32 years old. Virginia City Cemetery. [2001]