The fragility of peace is the central theme of my new piece, Elegy XXII, a meditation on conflict, loss, and despair. The image of a shattered sphere lingers—a quiet testament to what once stood whole, now crushed into sharp fragments; even as a new sunrise approaches, the light flickers within these tiny shards, a warning to those who attempt to walk on glass. What once was can be no more. In an Orwellian twist, the past is erased, its erasure forgotten, and a lie becomes the truth. A distinct motif emerges—a familiar melody woven into the fabric of the piece: "May There Always Be Sunshine," a Soviet children's song and an anthem for world peace. The lyrics were inspired by a small child who, upon learning the meaning of the word always, expressed his simple yet profound wishes: "May there always be sunshine, May there always be blue skies, May there always be Mama, May there always be me!" Yet, in the music, this longing for peace grows ever more desperate as the path toward it becomes obscured by violence and uncertainty.