A Rusty Mess of Iron Mesh

Sometimes I like to wander and search for the forgotten. These once important utilitarian objects are now lost to the ravages of nature and weathering. Discarded in such remote outposts that they were never meant to be seen again, yet I choose to defy probable intentions and rediscover the wreckage. When searching for that which others ignore, I never fail to find inspiration in the most overlooked places.

When I find a bizarre mass of trash like this in a public park, I cannot help but wonder about the history of the area and what events permitted such an unsightly jumble of iron to be abandoned. Will it still be here in 500 years, waiting to be rediscovered in the layers of soil that have accumulated at it's base? If it is, will it still be recognizable? Will the thorns and burrs that conceal it now eventually be overcome and replaced by something more permanent?

The gradual transformation of shiny iron into a rough, rusted mess is a great benchmark for the passage of time. We cannot see it actively changing on a daily or weekly basis, but come back in a year and I'd bet it would be notably different. Change that occurs so gradually that it cannot be immediately observed is easy to ignore. In a world where nothing is static, the only changes we seem concerned with are those which influence our present day. What sort of insights or improvements might be gained by thinking on a larger time scale?

Thank you for reading my post! All photos by the author, taken with a Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS.