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thrown out of a cemetery

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

The city was dumped on last night by rain that turned to sleet and then thick snow. This morning everything is slick and impassable. As usual, I headed out with my camera to have a look at the city. Deciding quickly that the sidewalks were too icy, I headed into the cemetery via the usual route of hopping the fence at the edge of the bridge. As usual when photographing anything in the cemetery, I was passed by joggers and the like.

Then one of the cemetery's rentacops stopped his car where I was rephotographing a tomb that I hadn't yet successfully shot. He told me that the cemetery was closed, and furthermore that I wasn't allowed to take photos of any tombstones! I told him I'd been doing it on a regular basis for six months now, but he said that it was cemetery policy that a visitor check in and get permission to photograph the tombstone that they wanted. I took this to mean seeking permission with every stone! I told him, "okay," and headed for the exit on Yonge St. It was locked when I got there, and when I used the provided phone to talk with the security people, I was told that someone would be right over.

Fifteen minutes later I stopped waiting and joined a jogger who was similarly stuck in the cemetery in hopping a different fence (at a place she knew).