Soft edges blur the world,
a veil of mist descends upon the landscape,
transforming familiar sights into dreamlike apparitions.
Colors mute and blend,
boundaries dissolve,
as if reality itself has become uncertain,
wavering in the thick air.
The sun,
a pale disc barely visible through the shroud,
struggles to pierce the opaque curtain drawn across the sky.
Distant buildings fade into ghostly outlines,
their sharp angles softened by the enveloping haze that cloaks the city streets.
Trees become shadowy sentinels,
their leaves whispering secrets to the fog that curls around their trunks and
branches.
Streetlights glow with an otherworldly aura,
their halos expanding in the moisture-laden air,
creating islands of dim illumination.
Sounds are muffled,
as if cotton has been stuffed into the ears of the world,
dampening the usual urban cacophony.
Pedestrians move like specters through the murky atmosphere,
their forms indistinct and ethereal as they navigate the obscured paths.
The haze brings a sense of mystery,
of hidden possibilities lurking just beyond the veil of perception’s reach.
It invites introspection,
turning the mind inward as the external world retreats behind a screen of
suspended droplets.
Time seems to slow,
each moment stretching like taffy,
as the usual markers of passing hours blur into indistinction.
The air feels thick in the lungs,
each breath a reminder of the tangible nature of this ephemeral phenomenon.
In the haze,
imagination flourishes,
painting pictures in the gaps where reality has become indistinct and malleable.
Memories surface unbidden,
mixing with the present in a swirl of past and now,
as clear as the fog.
The world holds its breath,
waiting for the sun to burn through or the wind to sweep the mists away.
Yet there’s a beauty in this liminal space,
a pause between clarity and confusion,
where anything seems possible.
As the day wears on, the haze may lift or deepen,
its presence a reminder of nature’s capricious moods.
It teaches patience,
this misty veil,
for those who would rush through life
without pausing to appreciate the subtle shifts.
In the end, the haze is a transient visitor,
leaving behind a renewed appreciation for the crisp lines of clarity.
But while it lingers,
it transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary,
turning the mundane world into a canvas of wonder.
Riddhima Das is an accomplished youth author residing in the Greater Seattle area. She was recognized as a Finalist for the 2024 Fighting Words Poetry Contest in the Global Health Category and earned the distinction of First Runner-Up in Category III Poetry at the 2024 River of Words International Environmental Art & Poetry Contest; her literary works have been published in four languages across more than 40 magazines. Additionally, her poetry was featured at the 2024 ACES Program, organized by Shunpike, and was displayed at The Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle from April to October. From October – November 2024, her work “Plastic Plague” was displayed at the Slip Gallery in Belltown as part of the exhibit “Mundane Dystopia.” Beyond her passion for poetry, Riddhima actively engages in learning multiple languages and has a keen interest in aviation. She hopes to work in education in the future.