Grave Understanding

The brisk, autumn wind rustles the brittle leaves that carpet the hardening ground of the cemetery. It is nearly October, yet the person who stands at the marble headstone feels a chill for different reasons. The past no longer matters in this moment, for they know there is no longer a future. Not for them and who lies beneath their feet. They hold back tears that from a distance may be from the biting wind or from grief, none who pass by will truly know what is in their heart. For the God-fearing folk, the deceased is looking down on them from above, but they don’t believe in that. This is final. There is no going back to things the way they were before, nor is the chance to improve available to them. All that remains is how to proceed without the deceased in their life. Lessons to heed or ignore, memories to cherish or discard, learn from past mistake to prevent them moving forward. There’s a finality in death that most fear, yet others cherish the freedom that it brings and embrace the change that it ushers forth. This is their moment to decide. They look to the sky, with closed eyes and reddened cheeks and they breathe in the cool, crisp air. They wipe their eyes and crouch down, placing something in front of the stone before they nod at the marker and walk away, crunching the leaves with every step. That final token is their decision.