I should not be surprised, but it still felt unexpected to encounter the grim vision I spotted today from the new Kosciuszko Bridge.
Like its predecessor the new bridge offers a magnificent view of Old Calvary Cemetery. But unlike before, when your time up there depended on how quickly traffic moved, this bridge contains a pedestrian/bike path, where one can stop and spend time taking it all in. I visited the bridge today intending to do that.
I saw as many as 6 burial services in progress. You might think that unremarkable, to see burials at a cemetery. But I know that yard very well. Old Calvary, per its name, is old and relatively inactive in terms of new burials. I’ve wandered Old Calvary for hundreds of hours over the years and very rarely encountered even one burial service in progress.
These little gatherings scattered across the grounds made me feel I was seeing something I simply not have been seeing. I took no pictures.
At least the gatherers today got to pay their last respects. Untold numbers of bodies land in unmarked graves at Potter’s Field, on Hart Island. Cremation ovens at St. Michael’s and other crematories now burn 24 hours a day, as survivors forego traditions of eulogies and gathering of family and friends.
So, while Calvary Cemetery is closed to visitors, the workers there keep doing what they have to do, unintruded upon by visitations. The workers must be stretched thin, as with many industries now.
I did hear some good news, though. A friend of mine made it. After 3 days in medically-induced coma he has fully recovered, and says he feels good as new. He flatlined multiple times during intubation but the doctors would not let him go. Incredible.
I got a fresh set of masks today. Everyone is ordered to wear them anywhere they go now. These ones I just got are far more fashionable than my first set, but seriously, I paid $4 for three masks. If they are going to order us to wear them the city should be giving these away… Oh, wait. There are nowhere near enough to go around. Nevermind.
