Baby Shull


Baby Shull
Originally uploaded by Childe

Here lies an unknown and possibly illegitimate baby. It was never named,
and was not taken care of in the traditional yearly grave cleaning. When
I was first introduced to this side of Benny’s family, I felt like a bit
of an outsider. So, I knelt down and brushed the dirt and pine needles
away. I poured water on it, and dug a pathway so the mud wouldn’t cover
the sunken stone. This year, the baby got a flower, despite the lack of
pot or urn.

It would cost seventy-five dollars to put a slab under the grave stone
to stop it from sinking, and raise the marker to the height of the other
family members. That should be pretty easy to do in a year’s time.