I had
at the time
a shawl
long
patterned and colourful
it twitched blithely in
the reflection of
the dormant Vistula
there was no
yesterday
today
tomorrow
there was only
now
that discreetly fled
every effort
to ensnare it
we were flooded with
the glow
of the reddish sun
a mute witness
of this unequal battle
I can’t remember
if our eyes
met then
perhaps it was just
my imagination
that desired it
I wonder at times
if we’ll meet again
to seek a way
of arresting
the moment
bathed in
the declining
rays
of the present
that will never return
Translated with the assistance of Renata Przybyło-Karolak