Painting by KATERYNA BILIAVSKA

“Lost Time” depicts a man frozen between memory and silence. He stands in his study, surrounded by clocks — quiet witnesses of time irreversibly lost. Each clock becomes a symbol of moments that cannot be returned, of words left unspoken and letters he longs to write, yet never completes. The beloved woman exists only in his thoughts. She is already beyond reach, but her absence fills the space more strongly than presence. The unfinished letters on the desk embody love suspended between longing and regret. Autumn outside the window mirrors his inner state. Fading light, falling leaves, and cool tones reflect love that has passed — once warm, now distant, bringing solitude and quiet emotional coldness. The painting speaks of time not merely as something that passes, but as something that remains within us — shaping memory, loss, and the ache of what can never be reclaimed. This poem was written in direct response to the image of this painting. It emerged from the same emotional space and reflects the inner state of the man portrayed — his longing, memory, and the quiet presence of a love that cannot be returned. The poem and the painting exist as a single narrative, expressed through different artistic forms. (Translated into English) I thought and wondered a lot about when I would meet you again. As if I had never known that unrestrained love. I saw you, I heard about you everywhere, but time passed quickly. And I did not manage to find you, no matter where I searched. You appeared to me in dreams, clear, like daylight, as if in reality. I loved you passionately. I waited for the moment when I would fall asleep. You occupied all of my thoughts, without you I could not breathe. You appear to me again, like the first snow in December. (Original Ukrainian) Багато думав і гадав Коли зустріну тебе знов. Ніби ніколи і не знав Про ту не стриману любов. Я бачив , чув про тебе скрізь, Але час швидко проминав. І я не встиг тебе знайти, Будь тільки де і не шукав. Ти мені бачилась у снах, Як чистий день , мов на яву. Я тебе пристрасно кохав. Чекав той час коли засну. Зайняла думи мої всі , Без тебе дихати не міг. Ти знов являєшся мені, Ніби у грудні перший сніг.