The Enigma - Key West Cemetery, 2014

Memorial statuary tends to fall into basic groups:  angels, Christs, cherubs, the occasional portrait, perhaps a dove, and so on.  But during my visit to Key West Cemetery, there was one statue that fell into none of the standard categories.

How did this unexpected nude, with its unusual position and flattened features, come to be in the cemetery? It stands over the grave of Archibald John Sheldon Yates, 1911 - 1966, whose gravestone lies in the centre of his shattered tomb.

The statue's weatherworn face is almost expressionless, but its tilted head and closed eyes project a sort of ecstasy - or is it suffering?  In retrospect, I cannot say if the statue's hands are bound or not, but their position appears to be one of bondage.

I suspect that some research online would reveal the story behind this figure, but I decided not to investigate.  Some mysteries are more satisfying when left unsolved.

- Sid