The wonderful, sorry state

This is one of the things I'm realizing is very common in Mexico, although if I wasn't so into dilapidated things I'd find it rather sad: A somewhat sizable kiddie amusement park, just left as it was to collect dust, dirt and rust. I keep seeing them. In fact, I've only come across one that was in use. The worn, chipped colors are just gorgeous, and I guess it's possible that these aren't "abandoned", but it's just off-season or something. I mean, would they really leave all that fun just sitting there?

Since I was a kid I've been intrigued by environments, usually quiet, removed from their usual state, usually loud and active. My first recognition of this was in 6th grade, when I wrote a report on the handball courts in between my school and my home. I walked to school every day and sometimes I would walk home around dusk, and as I would pass through the park and take note of the silence, the chill, the long shadows, and the wind blowing leaves across the empty courts, now devoid of the people, noise, daytime energy that usually filled out the scene. On the weekends I would be there with many friends, challenging other teams for court time. But at night, by myself, the courts might as well have been on another planet. Being there alone on a regular basis, I felt like I formed my own private relationship with the park and those handball courts. So that on the weekends, the courts and I shared the knowledge that for today, here in the bright light, we were sharing each other with everyone else. We both knew, I imagined, that come Monday evening we'd be back together again, sharing our stories and thoughts with just each other.