Eastern Cemetery: Even Tombstones Die

Stones: An Ode to Eastern Cemetery

Some are white but most are grey
From time or lack of care.
Appearance means so little
Since no one visits there.

Some were grand but none withstand
Quiet time that tiptoes by
And leaves behind this epitaph:

Even tombstones die.
* * *
Louisville's Eastern Cemetery, located on Baxter Avenue next to Cave Hill Cemetery, is a controversial burial ground plagued by legal troubles. Born in 1848 as an act of philanthropy, the cemetery was closed by the attorney general 140 years later after decades of overburials and neglect. Today, the enduring monument of Eastern Cemetery is the love and affection of those who try to maintain it.