Ecsis

a hand holding a fossil

Ecsis

n.
the haunting sense of mystery infused into certain random details that beckons you to wonder how it ended up here at this point in time—marveling at a patch of white on a dog’s chest, a bubble trapped in an old window, a glimpse of Saturn’s rings shivering in a telescope lens—knowing that behind the thing itself is a long chain of causes and effects that veers off into the shadows of prehistory, anchored somewhere near the dawn of time, even though the end result is somehow right there in front of you, shimmering in place.

Indonesian eksis, to exist, to be. Pronounced “ek-sis.”

Karanoia

a neat stack of white paper

Tornomov

a cloudy sky and landscape

Dystoria

close up of water drops on a window

Caucic

a close-up of a stone walking path

Malotype

Cover image for the Malotype word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Halfwise

a train coming towards the camera shot from the tracks

Incidental Contact High

Cover image for the Incidental Contact High word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Liberosis

Cover image for the Liberosis word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Lisolia

a bookcase containing objects

Loss Of Backing

Cover image for the Loss Of Backing word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Fata Organa

Cover image for the Fata Organa word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Nemotia

a city with clouds of smoke

Pâro

Cover image for the Pâro word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows