roadside memorials

there is a 5 foot tall carnival-prize scooby-doo overlooking the highway i take every morning, marking the site of a fatal car crash that happened last summer. since then he has stood sentinel, enduring all elements; as the snowbanks recently melted, he emerged ragged, caked in road dirt and salt, but still standing proudly, staring stupid and cross-eyed past the flow of traffic. there are smaller plush toys gathered around his feet, but you can barely tell what they are any more.

i'm sick of looking at this sad, decrepit junk, but i know that grief takes many forms and i'm loath to criticize or scoff at how people choose to memorialize a small child. still -- a slowly-decaying hannah-barbera character doesn't seem to be an appropriate tribute.

total bummer, i know. pardon my emo blogging; seeing this shit first thing every morning is not a great way to start the day.

that one freaks me out... me and the fam were headed to the mall the day of the accident and got caught in the tail end of the ensuing traffic jam, plus the girl who died was the same age as my son, and her dance teacher taught my daughter (RI etc)

at some point I hope they dismantle it - not to forget, but to put something a little more permanent there

elmo's first post got to me, really evocative of an incredible sadness seen through a dirty windshield.