The Crying Angel

crying angel, originally uploaded by theogeo.

When I was 6 year old we lived in Millington, Tennessee and then for a little while the Chickasaw Bluffs out in the middle of nowhere. I had a pony named Smokey, a huge tree house and our back yard was the Mississippi River. We had a decent garden in back yard. I remember pulling radishes and running thought the corn. I was sick a lot then but mostly I remember my pony and hikes in the woods.

I do have a vivid memory of a trip we made to a cemetery. I recall it was a warm day but cooled off quickly as the afternoon wore on. My mother, always the explorer, was searching for a local legend. It seemed to me as if we searched all afternoon for the right spot finally finding the hidden cemetery in the late afternoon. It seemed even longer before we found the legend she was looking for. As the shadows deepened and the sun disappeared amongst the heavily foliaged oaks, she finally found the marble statue of 'The Crying Angel'. I vaguely remember the sculpture but I do remember how scared I was. The cemetery was neglected and teen hang out at the time. For some reason I was afraid they would show up like the biker gangs did in all the drive in movies we went too with no Mad Max to save us. The legend told by locals in the area was the the angel would weep but I don't recall any tears but I do remember the statue in disrepair, moldy and dirty. I was a little awed and would not surprised if I had goosebumps at the time although I truly don't remember. It is funny that I should think about that trip that we took almost thirty years ago and I thought I would see if I could find it.

After googleing for several hours and searching through GenWeb, I was disappointed to discover it no longer existed. The Angel after years of neglect and battery was finally removed no longer marking the grave of the young civil war hero who died so long ago. No more fluttering of angel's wings or crying in the night. I went even further trying to find the old cemetery but even goolge maps was no help tonight. I fear the old cemetery has been replaced by a pet cemetery or just over grown and out of sight.

Happy Halloween Anyways!!!!!!!