“The Abandoned

Did you ever wonder
Why abandoned houses looked so sad
Much like the people
Their exterior was only for the function

We would not feel so sad
If we recognized
That the spirit of the house
Had already moved on

The dream remained”
― Maria Lehtman, The Dreaming Doors: Through the Soul Gateways

Anne has sent us one of my – and many others’ I know – favourite themes, Abandoned things! Personally I love abandoned houses and places, and for some time I joined my son in searching and photographing our finds.

My thoughts on Abandonement? A great theme it is, and an opportunity to dig out precious things from the archives – thank you, Anne! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, with only a short title on each of them. I don’t want to think of abandoned people though…that feels too sad. And, I have never photographed anyone in that kind of situation.

Tjernobyl

The saddest photograph in the gallery is of the Jewish cemetary in Warsaw. Walking in the silence there, knowing what happened to all these people and that there are no relatives left to remember or to tend to the graves… It is hard to fathom all the sadness and tragedy, but somehow there was a comforting feeling in walking alone in the silence, reading on the gravestones. Many of them still so beautiful.

Two homes – one in Norway, Lofoten, and a little bird’s nest in my forest

The stray dogs in Tblisi, Georgia, were many, but in a way they were not totally abandoned. Every dog had a tag in their ear, emitting medicine, so they were all castrated and friendly. They could also find food at a special place built for them in the city centre.

Sweden. A library in the forest – unfortunately an abandoned, unfinished octagon building

Agricultural machinery from an abandoned farm

Two abandoned factories that I visited with my son when he too was into photographing

The challenge is to tell and show our thoughts on abandonment. Please visit Anne’s beautiful site for more inspiration. I enjoy being alone, but that is my own choice – being abandoned does not sound that positive… When you respond, please link back to Anne’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Last week, I had the pleasure of being your host – thank you for so many fun and original responses of your last outings! I enjoyed seeing the varied places you visited and things you saw. Next week, look for John’s post as he will be leading our challenge.

Until then, stay safe and be kind. To yourself as well.