The cemetery once overlooked a lake. The city drained it to build a shopping mall. Then, the two lane road was elevated, stacked, and expanded to eight. The graves remained, but the plot wasn’t tranquil.

I used to go with my parents on Memorial Day. We scissored the grass around each stone and planted geraniums. The dead were buried there before I was born. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t feign a connection. I felt left out–like I’d missed something important.