October 22, 2008

  • funeral procession

    gallery_funeral
    funeral procession
    ellis wilson

    i remember this painting from the frame store that my godparents used to own.  i never thought much of it then because i was seven, and it evoked no emotion in me.  but it was front and center at some points because people came in asking if they had that painting.  apparently, it was featured on the cosby show once as an heirloom that gathered over $11,000 at an auction, though i find it ironic that the artist never received much money for his paintings, and died in relative obscurity. 

    i thought of it because of a funeral procession i saw today.  i travel between two schools, so i usually find myself waiting at a traffic light around a quarter after eight.  today, a long stream of cars rolled along in front of me.  the lead car honked because they were about to run a red, and as i looked left, i saw a long line of headlighted cars creeping along the pavement.  at twenty nine, this scene really gets me every time now.  before i knew it, i was dripping tears into my traveler's mug...transported back to times when i was one of those cars.  the flood of emotion was rather surprising to me, and as i got ready to move again, i couldn't stop the swell.

    i know funeral processions happen.  they are a part of life, and yet i'll never get used to them.  i used to tell people that death was an anomaly...that we weren't meant to die.  it wasn't even so much because of theology, but because i couldn't imagine how something that evokes so much pain could be so natural.  but i've stopped being so vocal about that because "people" tell me that death is a part of life.  it's the natural cycle.  we need to accept it.  outwardly, i usually nod my head, but deep inside, i know it's something i'll never accept.