Believes in the humbleness of things and in a human heart that cannot be bound

not depriving the reality of its freedom nor depriving the world of its abysmal character
not afraid of the eyes of the day
nor the mouth of the night
knowing the value of dreams
and the burden of awakening
the sweet treacherousness of memories
and the daggers of the future
and the voice of silence and the silence of cries

she defines and forces meetings

calls childhood back

and causes aging

she does not bind life around her with a rope to prevent it from fleeing
and she does not watch it through the window
to see its struggles, conflicts, victories and losses

preferences for some and hatred for others

beating its head against a wall

taking off in vain
or fiercely digging in the ground

but she loves it

and asks: what does its angry laughter mean

its dazzling song and blinding dance?
how to tame the light
capture shadows and win time?
what does she sees in her restless sleep

and what exactly does photography mean
that glossy warm mirage on paper
proposing without propositions
knowing not the lie but the inward truth
teaching us obvious secrets without explaining

and explaining without words?

Jirí Kolár
Prague 1961