In this poem by Maureen Sherbondy, she remembers gathering with elders in the family room — and still feels their spirits now that they’ve passed
by Maureen Sherbondy | illustration by Daniel Headen

Maureen Sherbondy’s forthcoming book is The Body Remembers (Unsolicited Press, October). Her work has appeared in Southern Humanities Review, New York Quarterly, Calyx and many other journals. She lives in Durham. “On a recent visit to a cemetery in Canandaigua, New York, where my grandparents are both buried,  I noticed that many family friends have gravestones right near my deceased relatives. I imagine that they are all still in conversation even after life. This thought brings me such joy and peace.” Learn more about her work at maureensherbondy.com.

Daniel Headen is a freelance illustrator in the Triangle who concentrates in portraiture and cover art as a means to be a better visual communicator not just for himself, but for others as well. “Maureen’s ‘October in the Family Cemetery’ is such a touching poem, and what a pleasure it was to illustrate around her immersive writing.”