Rust: The reddish brown coating of iron oxide on the surface of iron or steel when the metal is exposed to air and moisture.

 Rust is nature’s way of reclaiming the elements from which metal is made. Leave any piece outside long enough and it will return to dust just as surely as every human is destined to do the same.

 Rusty cars and trucks dot the landscape like pieces of sculpture. They sit in groves of trees or in patches of weeds. At Don Cochrane’s house in Independence, a rusty car hulk on Styrofoam blocks drifts aimlessly in a pond, its position dictated by the capriciousness of wind. 

 There’s something appealing about rusty vehicles. Their lines, creases and pockmarks tell stories about their lives like the weathered face of an aging outdoorsman. Once-sparkling fenders and gleaming chrome bumpers look as if they have been coated with a heavenly brown dust.

 Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. If it’s made out of iron it will turn to rust.