Description:
When you get off the T, coming from either direction, go up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, proceed through the turnstiles. Exit the station through the doors on the left-hand side of the station. Walk straight past the benches of the outside bus waiting area. Beyond the farthest bench will be a three-sided granite monument standing alone. The sides facing the station are engraved with Christine Moore's Grandmothers. The side facing the small common area is engraved with Christopher Gilbert's poem Any Good Throat.
About the Author:
Christine Palamidessi Moore, former resident of Cambridge, is a freelance writer. She received a BA for writing and filmmaking from the University of Pittsburgh in 1973. She then completed graduate studies at John Hopkins University.
Response:
My first thought when I approached the monument was that it looked sad. Not the sadness felt that brings one to tears, but the quiet feeling that overwhelms when something is forgotten. Such a reaction might have been aided by the weather which was marked by dark wintry skies and a chilling wind. Yet, even if the flowers had been in full bloom and the sun shining it still would have looked the same: off to the side, isolated from its surrounding environment. The gloominess initially inspired by physical appearance and location quickly dissolved when I read the text. Upon the cold hard granite was written a story of tenderness and love. Grandmothers is a work of prose that celebrates both heritage and family. In the story, a young girl reminisces about her two grandmothers. These women are of different ethnic backgrounds, but are loved the same by their granddaughter.
By Nicole Vetere
