Oak Burr Cemetery Scam Poem by Luke Easter

Better eat before you read this, it’s not a joke,
These guys had jobs so, they were not broke,
Workers at a cemetery devised a sinister plot,
Move bodies from graves then resell the lot.

I am not making this up, it really did occur,
Like the chariot scene in the movie Ben-Hur,
They could not fake it so they did it for real,
Resting places of the departed workers did steal.

An investigation revealed it lasted four years,
Obviously cash does have more clout than tears,
And certainly more than any kind of secular fear,
Just look at the crime, how could it be more clear?

Very true that the dead can’t stand up and squeal,
A dead man’s version of, “The Art Of The Deal, ”
“Distraught! ” Said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart,
Three men and one woman financially took part.

Okay, exactly how was this revelation revealed?
One of the workers in their heart began to feel,
Admitting shame from too much guilt on their part,
Maybe the same spirt that climbed into Judas' heart.

To the final resting-place your remains are carried,
Completely undisturbed you expect to be buried,
Six feet under maybe more, peacefully left alone,
Hopefully, prayerfully until Father calls you home.

Yep, there is unrest in the town of Alsip, Illinois,
Playing with bodies, graves, like playing with toys,
A Black historic burial site, remember Emmett Till?
Lynched at 14 in 1955, more insult added to the kill.

Dinah Washington and players of the Negro Leagues,
Ezzard Charles, Willie Dixon, a 2nd time to be grieved?
Only the less famous were moved to graves in the back,
Thought only on a Mississippi bus were we treated like that.

Jesus said, you have turned my house into a den of thieves,
While they were transforming a dead valley into living greed,
Consecrating anywhere from over 100 to maybe 300 graves,
Burglary, theft, robbery and now this, sure anything to get paid.

Sounds strange the director didn’t know till he was told,
Saw pictures of debris stacked high on the net, how bold,
The new mass grave in the back was filled to overflow,
Arms, legs, body parts lying around with no place to go.

Lawsuits are filing in faster than new graves were sold,
So, the gravediggers aren’t the only ones seeking gold,
Judas received 30 pieces of silver 2000+ years in the past,
Betraying Jesus and by today's standards it’s a tank of gas.

Glad they weren’t around to roll the stone from His tomb,
Dumped Him, put a new one in, by the light of the moon,
Sorry Mary, Sorry Martha, yes He was here this is true,
12 shekels and 80 denari, we’ll bring Jesus back for you.

Surely this motley crew had to be getting more than that,
About $300K over 4 years is where the estimate is now at,
This amount had to be above & beyond any kind of need,
“In the latter days men will be lovers of money & greed.”

Even if wasn’t discovered and the scam continued to grow,
Who wants to gain the whole world and loose their soul?
Obviously quite a few because these are not the only ones,
However, will it really be worth it after all is said and done?

In the defense of those workers, explain how they could,
Provide maintenance and have time to be up to no good,
Here’s their rule of thumb, I apologize if feelings are hurt,
Money is money when translated it means first things first.

Called Pastor Bradford in Nashville & wouldn’t you know,
The reverend had the nerve to stop and pray for their soul,
Not the already departed unceremoniously kicked to the curb,
But for the knuckleheads still alive now that takes gospel nerve.

Once again people, this is not to judge or criticize,
Understand that it’s only written to make us realize,
All of the worlds foolish antics, acting crazy, insane,
Not now nor ever was the reason Christ Jesus came.

It’s getting closer, to when He comes back for the 2nd time,
When that happens is this the kind of behavior Jesus will find?
The time to seek Christ is now for the multitude who are lost,
Because only the 1st time was He to die & suffer on the cross.

So, this particular situation is not all that difficult to believe,
There were complaints about drainage problems and weeds,
Sunken or tilting gravestones plus unmanageable roads and…
Plenty of unsavory things in the, “Burr Oak Cemetery Scam.”