Swan Point Cemetery

May 31

Setting the tone.

My husband had been wanting to take me to Swan Point Cemetery the moment we had a free opportunity for a long walk together. After all, it is the resting place of H.P. Lovecraft. It’s a commonly shared fact from local Rhode Islanders and contributes to the overall mood of the cemetery; a slow walk through centuries of history, the inhabitants having witnessed landmarks in US timelines we’ve only read about.

Dotting the hedge stones and pyres are the familiar winged figures we saw before even entering the cemetery. Entertainment instills a prenotion that cemeteries are shrouded in mist, with a cackling crow or raven shrieking when you pass. All while it precipitates lightly, and a gravekeeper scans the maze of twisted trees and crumbling granite, the soft glow of his lantern trailing beside him.

That’s a far departure from Swan Point Cemetery. In fact, it was a beautiful afternoon. A mother and her children were taking photographs, no doubt on their way to visit Mr. Lovecraft. Tulips and lush fauna enveloped the manicured lawns and pungent mulch. Sparrows and Robins sang their songs and greeted the visitors as they read tombstones and imagined a time much different from today.

I, of course, had my eyes peeled for any perched birds who were settling in for the spring. Right at the entrance, we found a mother Robin tucked away in her nest. Her familiarity set the tone for our experience. Despite its namesake, we did not come across any Swans.

Swan Point Cemetery is listed as a local birding hotspot, clocking 207 species on ebird.

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