Mono Monday - Objects of Disinterest

They are not gone, whose names are remembered... but after a while, and in disturbingly easy fashion, along with our memories, they go. Our modern western traditions say that once life has departed all that remains is an object; the person has gone. 

Many animist traditions around the world and, indeed, in prehistoric Britain revere the remains of the dead, and treat them as still wakeful if largely inactive members of the community. Remains in Britain were extracted from their tombs on days of celebration, so that the ancestors could participate in the rituals. They remained people, not simply object remains.

Down at Arnos Vale in Bristol, the woodland has long overtaken the cemetery, and trees and monuments vie for position, with the trees generally winning. As graves are supplanted by, um, plants the stones of the memorials are taken away and stored in one of the crypts. 

No longer referencing those who are remembered, they are simply objects that once had purpose. It is a lovely place, and right beside the new headquarters of the Royal Photographic Society, should you fancy a visit... ;-)