When I close my eyes, I imagine myself standing in the cemetery on a rainy day in October, the sky glooming above me. I imagine raindrops rolling down as I stretch my arms up, stark against the gray. When I open them, the sun filters in sharply. It is a clear, blue morning, and light […]
Author: jk114
Underground
Copenhagen’s subway, known as the Metro, is almost unsettlingly quiet, especially compared to the infamous screech of the green line of the T. In the heart of the cemetery, I only hear the abrasive chirps of Eurasian jays hiding in the (still-leafy) treetops. A stretch of wind turbines stand proudly on a shoal outside Amager, […]
The Forest
The cemetery is a unique kind of gathering place. I sit, removed from others, removed from others, separated by hedge walls and soaring trees. I worked in rural Maryland this summer, venturing into the woods to record frog calls. Sometimes, the forest became so dense that I couldn’t decide where to step next–here, the community […]
Moss
In the cemetery, moss peeks through the flagstones under my feet. Instead of being anchored by roots, moss has rhizoids that enable it to attach to soil. When walking through the city center of Copenhagen, you can go blocks without seeing a tree, but there will undoubtedly be a smattering of moss between the cobblestones […]
Orange jasmine
Autumn arrived in Copenhagen as I expected, in one long rainstorm. The city is known for a rainy autumn season, and I’ve been warned of a plunge into cold darkness. I felt my homesickness for Boston ease this week-the chilly air and wet cobblestones reminded me of Harvard Square in the fall. It began to […]
Cemeteries
Denmark’s cemeteries are manicured and inviting. Each one I’ve seen has been cordoned by hedges, which I compare to the sprawling, hilly cemeteries back home. I learned how to drive in graveyards like that, paved with asphalt, lacking in benches and shade. I remember looking across the rows of headstones while standing at my grandfather’s […]