Forest Haven (Laurel, MD) | In Memoriam

Photograph taken in the morgue of the children's hospital, home to one of my most disturbing experiences ever.

"In Memoriam" by Percy Bysshe Shelley

My lost William, thou in whom
Some bright spirit lived, and did
That decaying robe consume
Which its lustre faintly hid,
Here its ashes find a tomb,
but beneath this pyramid
Thou art not - if a thing divine
Like thee can die, thy funeral shrine
Is thy mother's grief and mine.

Where art thou, my gentle child?
Let me think thy spirit feeds,
With its life intense and mild,
The love of living leaves and weeds
Among these tombs and ruins wild;-
Let me think that through low seeds
Of the sweet flowers and sunny grass
Into their hues and scents may pass,
A portion -

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Photograph taken in the morgue of the Disctrict of Columbia Children's Center hospital at the abandoned Forest Haven Developmental Center in Laurel, MD. Image and unattributed text by Matthew Christopher of Abandoned America.

Forest Haven is a chapter in my book, Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream.
Buy a signed copy via this link or get it on Amazon using the link below to learn more!