Sunday, June 29, 2008

I went to Forest Hills Cemetary today and found Eugene O'Neill's grave after much searching with help of the complimentary map provided at the entrance gate. This map wasn't drawn by any cartographer. It was made with some help from a software program to make it look professional but America's only playwright Nobel Laureate's tombstone was nowhere near where it was indicated on the map. Any relation to actual topography should be assumed to be fictional.

After an hour spent crisscrossing the terrain to the right of Cupressus Avenue, I got the idea that the map is full of indications rather than exact directions. I found e.e. cummings resting place in a thrice. Good thing I had figured out that the map doesn't take landscape into consideration because this poet's final resting place is not really off Cherry Avenue unless a pilgrim wants to take an eight foot drop down a puddingstone wall.

Marks for the cemetary: top notch. Marks for famous writers' tombstones: so-so. It is all funded by private money of course so you can't fault a family who wants to commemorate on the cheap.

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