What remains

©veronica boehm

I've thought about this for a while.. mostly because in this day and age it keeps surfacing again and again as life barrels forward without ceasing. Recently I read an article on NY Times about it as well, so I know it's not just me that thinks about such things. But it still sort of troubles me.. in a time where many people have dual lives- virtual and real- some kept harmoniously, while others kept very separate from one another. What happens to one's digital presence after one passes away. Who, if anybody, is ever able to cancel accounts, remove twitter and facebook pages and clear away the last moments that one shared with the world before passing? Should it be cleared away or kept as a memorial? To me it feels as if I'm looking at a ghost, seeing the last thing shared in a status update (sometimes only hours before they passed), the last photos they posted of their recent outings, the last thing a friend posted to their wall before news spread.. and then a flood of friends and family posting their sympathies, tributes, photos and sorrows. Recently I've had two different friends pass away, both with facebook profiles and sometimes photoblogs, websites etc. I can't help but look through it.. and I imagine most feel compelled to do the same. A voyeur trying to make sense of death.

Veronica Marie Boehm Feb 2, 1985 - Mar 27, 2011
Veronica will be missed by many and it's sad that she passed away so young.