Friday, February 29, 2008

Roadside Crosses

Blurred floral crosses
in my rear view mirror
A momento
of life
or death?
Who's to know...
I breathe
and pause
The End
The cause
as I change the station on the radio.

I once heard that roadside crosses were placed as a reminder to the dead.
A reminder to move on.
The one pictured on the left is in memory of a man named Hans-Peter, who lived in our little village. We were on the road right after the accident occurred. He was hit on his motorcycle. His aunt and his mother tend to the flowers weekly. It's difficult driving by knowing the cause.
Somehow this cross and flowers are not as blurry in my rear view mirror. Hans-Peter's roadside cross is a well kept memory in contrast to the other one with wilted weeds and broken pots.
A neglected momento too painful to maintain.
These photos I took on the way to Santa Fe on Valentine's weekend a few years ago.
These were well loved momentos adorned with Valentine flowers.
Lost hearts, but not forgotten........

I have always had a curious fascination with roadside crosses.
The placement and symbolism of a tragic moment.
How many notice them as they speed by dazed by their day and blurred in their rear view mirror?
Perhaps, now you will notice.














4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have such a poets soul, I love reading your blog. Carol

Thorngren said...

Thanks cuz!
I think I get it from my Dad and my Uncle Jimmy......

Distressing Delilah a.k.a. jenn said...

I see them all the time. The sad thing is that I know who most of them are for...I took care of them in our emergency room..Holds a different memory for me.

Lisa McGlaun said...

We have these crosses in the US. Mostly in areas with Hispanic populations. (from what I understand it's part of the Mexican culture)You'll see them along the roadside marking the spot where someone was killed in a car accident.

It's interesting to know that these memorials are in other parts of the world too.

Lisa