Spoon River Anthology

I noticed this book of poems/short narratives on our bookcase as I was rocking Jake to sleep.  Cody introduced me to this book.  I remember it was one of our favorite things to do-to flip randomly through it and pick out random poems.  There are many dog-eared pages showing Code's favorites.  I remember even back then how I wanted to read through all of them find all of the connections between them.  You see, it's not just a book of random poems.  It's filled with the recollections/experiences of this one small town's dead residents.  They are all titled with the name of the resident who is speaking.  They're not all connected but many of them mention other members of the town so if you go and read theirs it usually adds deeper meaning to each other's final thoughts etc.
For example:

Elsa Wertman

"I was a peasant girl from Germany.
Blue-eyed, rosy, happy, and strong.
And the first place that I worked was
at Thomas Greene's.
On a summer's day when she was away
He stole into the kitchen and took me
Right in his arms and kissed me on my throat,
I turning my head.  Then neither of us
Seemed to know what happened.
And I cried for what would become of me.
And cried and cried as my secret began to show.
One day Mrs. Greene said she understood,
And would make no trouble for me,
And, being childless, would adopt it.
(He had given her a farm to be still).
So she hid in the house, and sent out rumors,
As if it were going to happen to her.
And all went well and the child was born- They
       were so kind to me.
Later I married Gus Wertman, and years passed.
But- at political rallies when sitters-by thought I
       was crying
At the eloquence of Hamilton Greene-
That was not it.
No! I wanted to say:
That's my son! That's my son!"

the next page has this:

Hamilton Greene

"I was the only child of Frances Harris of Virginia
And Thomas Greene of Kentucky,
Of valiant and honorable blood both.
To them I owe all that I became,
Judge, member of Congress, leader in the State.
From my mother I inherited Vivacity, fancy, language;
From my father will, judgement, logic.
All honor to them
For what service I was to the people!"

They're not all sad like that but it's just fascinating to read and start connecting the dots.  Like discovering another world one key hole at a time.
One of our favorites:

Cassius Hueffer

"They have chiseled on my stone the words:
'His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed
   in him
That nature might stand up and say to all the
    world,
This was a man.'
Those who knew me smile
As they read this empty rhetoric.

My epitaph should have been:
'Life was not gentle to him.
And the elements so mixed in him
In the which he was slain.'
While I lived I could not cope with slanderous
   tongues,
now that I am dead I must submit to an epitaph
Graven by a fool!"