Sagging under the weight
Of the effort to remain
Empty, sad, forgotten
Not a footfall, nor a voice
To break the silent dissonance
Layers stripped by time
Parings of a dimming spirit
My company is but birds and dust
And ghostly spirits of the past
The future is dimming
The feeble flicker of a flame
Blown out by apathy
A life forgotten

Motts, I can only compare your work to that of feeding a starving soul. Superbly satisfying. Thank-you.

Thank-you!

Thank-you, ladyhawke!

Forgotten, silent place
Forbidding is my tomb
Nary a sound to interrupt
My wearisome existence

Dust motes slowly turning
In golden rays of sun
Honeyed light deters the night
Alas! The day toils onward

Behind is left the gloom and dark
The silence is oppressive
Heavy blackness piercing
Eyes too blind to see

Laid to rest in velvet splendor
My robes, tattered and torn
'twould take but a touch so gentle
To crumble and fall to dust

Would someone light a candle
Bring back the golden light
Chase away the darkness
So I can feel less alone?

Thank-you so much, ladyhawke!

The window looks inward
At the lonely weeping walls
The window looks outward
At the empty, endless halls
The silence hurts my ears
But cannot dispel my fears
As from the corner of an eye
The lack of substance does not lie
Ghostly shadows dart about
Please, won't someone let me out.

Thank-you kindly, Jude!

mcdc...It is an original Twug. I wrote it.

Hi, Grifspop. Missing you!

You have my gratitude, as always, Motts. Beautiful gallery.

"My time here is over
The end of life draws nigh
No more footsteps, no laughter
All have passed away
I once was proud and regal
I once stood tall and strong
Scorched by fire and abandoned
Walls are falling, staircase crumbling
A shadow of what once was
I have grown so weary
I can hold on no more
I bid you farewell
As I depart, forgotten."

Thank-you, Mathue. It is so disturbing to see how absolutely regal and beautiful it once was. To let something like this go to waste is a shame.

Mutual admiration is a good thing!

mellisa, that's a hefty sum to give up. How about we go together, and we'll split the money. Maybe pick up a few really strong, brave fellows to accompany us. (you know who you are).

Breathtaking gallery, as usual. Your bittersweet photography evokes feelings of melancholy. You are so appreciated, Motts! And thank-you, alias, as well! Like Peat said, thank you for immortalizing these places. Without your photographs, we would have no memories or images of these beautiful places.

Seems like old times. You're the best, Lynne! I still want us to wear derbies and dance someday.

Is that a skylight in the smaller structure? What beauty! Sadness. Not to be saved, to be forever gone.

This was one of my absolute favorite photographs until I read the description of what it was. Motts or alias, do they have to do asbestos abatement in any of these buildings like they do here in America?

"And yet your beauty breeds a strange despair,
And pang of yearning in the helpless heart;
To shield you from time's fraying wear and tear,
That from yourself yourself would wrench apart,
How save you, fairest, but to set you where
Mortality kills death in deathless art?"

To me, all that's missing is the castle. You can almost imagine archers in the windows.

A lot of it seems to be in such great shape, it's a shame that it's being torn down. Some of these buildings almost look like apartments.

Motts is a true gentleman in every sense of the word.

Hey everybody, Motts needs a date. Can anyone help him out?

I'll make this brief. Just because this place is abandoned, does not mean that it is not owned by someone. Theft and vandalism is just what it is. And last time I checked, both were illegal. "Take only memories, leave only footprints."