Echoes in the Empty Hours

by Hayley Foo

Desolation may not always be cinematic, but frequently the desolation is so quiet, that people mistake it for normality. Desolation can be an empty building that feels as if there was once energy there. For example, in a classroom, there are still student names written on paper, there are still chairs that have been pulled out a little from the desk, there are still routines that are being followed despite the fact that the present date is past the value of that routine. There is nothing broken and there is nothing dramatic, therefore, there is no way to tell by looking at the classroom that it is a desolated classroom; and the absence of any clear indicators is what makes it so unsettling. 

Similarly, desolation does not always look empty in nature. There are instances in which it appears full, where trees stand, roads are intact, and buildings are still upright, but stripped of interaction. The wind flows through these areas, however, nothing responds to the action or the energy of the wind. The passage of time continues, however, it doesn’t appear to give a care as to who the passage of time is intended to serve. One of the more telling aspects of desolation is how often desolation exists in conjunction with memory.

Desolation does not erase the existence of something. However, it provides a semblance of the outline of something. You can still tell that something used to matter, but it has declined in value when you are in the midst of that desolated area. It is this value differential that creates the weight of a desolated area, as opposed to the void of existence. While desolation may be similar in many cases, there are also many instances in which desolation is temporary. 

Desolation can be caused as a result of a misalignment of a location or physical building and the individuals that occupied the location. Desolation can also occur while waiting for something new to arrive.  But while it lasts, it has a specific texture, a feeling of being slightly out of sync with what should have been alive.

     Artwork by Margot Delacroix, “Quiet Time”