A GRAVE INJUSTICE

When I travel East on Interstate-40, I usually get on at the access ramp at Kerr Road. It's about five miles from where I live, so even living in a rural area, I'm not really ... "out in the sticks". Not too far, anyway.

For the several years I was commuting weekly to/from Memphis to work with Caboodles Cosmetics, Kerr road was the beginning & end for me. Not only for the travel itself -- about 260 miles round trip -- but for the traffic on I-40 as well. The trip gets old quickly, battling all the 18-wheelers which travel the Interstate.

Each Monday morning, usually about 5 A.M., I would make my entrance to I-40 at Kerr Road. Late Thursday afternoon of that week, returning home, Kerr Road was my exit point. Many times, I would often get off the Interstate in Bisco, Arkansas & make the rest of the trip home on Highway-70. I would have had enough of the Interstate traffic & needed a more leisurely flow of traffic.

Even those times I would exit the Interstate early, I still would "pass" Kerr Road as I neared home, as it begins at Highway-70. The road goes all the way to Cabot, Arkansas & is often a "back way" for me travel to Cabot.

Kerr Road, between Highway-70 & the Interstate entrance/exit, is just a county road, most of it bordered by a swamp full of Tupelo Trees on one side & a sod farm on the other. Scattered along the way are some not too well kept homes, a few mobile homes [some may/may not be lived in] & a church & grave yard -- St. Mathews Baptist Church.

The church was rebuilt a few years ago & looks elegant & well kept. The grave yard however appears to be a different story.

I could tell when driving on Kerr Road that many of the tombstones where quite old, yet the grave yard itself was "active", as I would often see "fresh" graves -- due to dirt, flowers, etc. -- as I drove along.

When I worked at Maybelline here in Arkansas, I was given some history on the "Kerr Community" as it is sometimes called. The area dates back to the late 1800's & has primarily been an African-American conclave all that time. The original church was built long ago, but replaced in the past decade.

I recently stopped at the church & fulfilled a long desire to "tour" the grave yard. I knew there had to be some extremely old graves & I was curious as to what I would find.

Let me just say ... close up & under my feet ... the grave yard is not what it appears to be when driving past it at 25-35 MPH. There are OLD graves & newer sections, with -- per the grave markers -- "recent" burials. What impacted my visit, was the CONDITION of the graves.

This grave -- for someone with a last name of "Warren", was the oldest grave with a date on it -- 1899. However, there were many other stones & markers which were unreadable or had no writing on them.

This grave marker appears to be, "home made" -- concrete forms, with the name/dates scraped in while the concrete was still wet. There were two of these markers which I saw.

I look at the dates on the markers, not only to find "old graves", but like this one, to quietly question in my mind, why this person only lived to be 21 years old.

This is looking from what I would call the "old section", back to the church & some of the "newer" graves. This shows too, with the reflections, what I could never see from the road -- many of the graves have water in them/on them. It appears -- due to age ?? -- the earth has sunk in & water either fills it, or covers it. Not only did it make me feel the grave yard was not maintained, but -- creeping me out -- whatever is buried has collapsed, or disintegrated, below.

This grave -- of Virge Sampson -- was overgrown by the tree & tree roots which grew long after the person -- less than one year old -- was buried. There were many grave stones in far worse condition ... some broken, tipped over & some falling INTO the sinking graves.

Again ... areas in poor condition, not maintained & outlines of sinking grave sites.

Even in the newer areas, where some semblance of grave care is taking place, there are areas of water & sunken earth.

And -- just so we don't forget we are in Arkansas -- along side the small dirt/gravel road which traverses the grave yard, there are piles of garbage scattered around. In this case, old plastic flowers, metal flower stands, styrofoam crosses, along with some other "things" I was not sure I wanted to know what they were.

Well, for a long time I was curious about this location & the "contents". What I have come away with is more questions than answers, all having to do with care of the site & even why people would want to be continue to be buried there. [I guess I answer that last question by thinking "options" may be limited to these people & the location may be ingrained in both mind & family history.]

Still the investigation was interesting. I know a bit more about the area & certainly some information about people who have passed on, many quite a few years ago.

It also affirmed my desire, dictate to friends, family & written in my will, to be cremated when it is my turn to leave planet earth. Then, no maintenance for me will be required when I am gone.