Raw From The Road, Las Cruces, April 14, 2017
Straight No Chaser
I never knew what hit me.
Like a shooting star
You came out of nowhere.
You and me, on the same path,
Traveling in the same direction.
I was always a little ahead of you.
You trailed for a long time,
Until I ran out of gas.
You caught up to me,
We collided
Robbie Kaye
Arizona or parts of the South, you’ve seen little white crosses by the roadway. These are descansos, resting places.”
After that first road trip, I was on a mission to find and photograph these roadside descansos.
Estes writes, “descansos are symbols that mark a death. Right there, right on that spot, someone’s journey in life halted unexpectedly.
Descansos takes pity on and gives honor to.”
I like to think the photographs I take, the voices I imagine and write from are an honoring of those no longer living.
Like most people, I’ve lain to rest notions, hopes, dreams and loved ones.
This project is about commemoration. A celebration of life.
The next time you drive by one of these crosses, maybe you’ll wonder about that being who walked on this earth.
Like one of my mentors, Brendon Burchard says, “Live. Love. Matter.”
You definitely matter.