Granite stones above the ground
With name and date engraved
One tells of when one was born
The other of when beneath he laid

Stones that stand in straightened rows
As soldiers on a march
Upon a ground set aside
Protected by a gated arch

Stones that stand as sentinels
Guarding those that sleep
As if to protect the ones
Who lie beneath so deep

Stones that stand to mark the place
Where a loved one last was seen
Who is covered now with darkened earth
Blanketed with grass now green

Stones that stand solid and firm
In snow and sleet and rain
Call out to the living who pass
Come and read my name

We wish not to leave behind
Those here we love
But we each will one day lay beneath
Where the stone now stands above