A crow
caws. Its cry has
signaled a new
night. In this
inky blackness,
a faceless grave
sits alone in the center
of a vast, abandoned field.
In the deafening silence, fireflies
float about in the emptiness as mice
navigate their way through the dense,
overgrown grass. The critters
lived within the trees and beneath
the dirt.
////
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They shied away from moonlight.
Yet, this night was a moonless one and these
shy creatures felt brave. Inch by inch, one by one, they
made their way to the gravestone. This once represented a
person. This person was someone who had lived, who had forged
relationships, and who was now dead. When it was first erected, people visited
and their tears watered the grass that surrounded it. But now, no one ever
visited. The wind and rain had worn it out, stripping the grave of its name,
making it faceless. Now, no one was left in the world to remember the skeleton
that lay beneath. But if its person was forgotten, then what purpose did the grave
serve? The gravestone contemplated, having no answer. Its skeleton hadn’t died
alone, so why was it about to? A lonesome existence. Reality had settled in for the
gravestone. The gravestone had been abandoned. And now, no one would weep for it,
clean it, or keep it company. Time took its toll. All living things eventually died. This
same fate would befall the gravestone. After being neglected for so long, cracks had
formed. It was alone. Its name was gone. Its purpose had faded. The tombstone was
overrun with moss. The moss thrived in the cracks, anchoring itself to them. It grew so much that the
tombstone’s surface could barely be seen now. The gravestone knew that it had little time. Once the moss took
over, it’d be the end. The crow cawed one final time. It mourned the death of the gravestone.
Linh Duong is a graduating high school senior, —she is excited about her future and traveling the world, especially in Spain and Vietnam. In her free time, she loves to binge-read Chinese novels and eat triple fudge ice cream. Her hobbies include drawing (dragons) and learning new languages. Linh is adventurous, outgoing, and a hard worker, enjoying quiet time by listening to music or practicing Chinese.