Poem-9

Fog

By Carl Sandburg

Fog Poem Introduction

Carl Sandburg wrote the poem Fog, which is a very short poem. He has described the fog's arrival in a city and the harbour. He has eloquently compared it to a cat.

Fog Poem Summary

According to the poet, the fog that is common during the winter season is approaching the city and the harbour like a cat. This means that it is approaching the city in such a quiet manner that no one will notice its presence. He compared its appearance to that of a cat because a cat always enters a room quietly. Next, he claims that the fog has blanketed the entire city and harbour, and it appears to be sitting by folding its legs and looking around, much like a cat does when it sits on its haunches and looks around. Finally, he describes the disappearance of the fog, which vanishes quietly and unexpectedly, similar to the disappearance of the cat.

Fog Poem Explanation

The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

• Fog: It is a thick cloud of tiny water droplets present in the atmosphere, especially in winter.
• Harbour; Port, dock
• on haunches: sitting with knees bent

The fog is being described by the poet. A fog is a dense cloud of tiny water droplets in the atmosphere. It is most common during the winter season. The poet describes the movement of fog towards the city and the harbour in this section. He describes the fog as "coming like a cat on its little feet." This means that the fog moves slowly and calmly towards the city, much like a cat. It is impossible to predict how and when the fog will enter the city. As a result, fog is likened to a cat that enters our home in an unpredictable manner.

The fog, he continues, sits over the entire city like a cat sitting silently by folding her legs behind itself and looking around at the nearby places and things. Similarly, it appears that the fog is silently covering the entire city and harbour and is sitting on top of them, looking around like a cat. After a while, the fog moves away from the city. The poet says this because it is a natural phenomenon that fog does not stay in one place for long and eventually leaves. As a result, the poet says that, like a cat, the fog leaves the area quietly and unnoticed by anyone.

Literary devices:

• Metaphor: Fog is compared to cat (On little cat feet)
• Rhyme scheme: There is no rhyme scheme followed. Poem is in free verse
• Enjambment: When a sentence continues to next line (It sits looking….. then moves on)
• Personfication: fog has been personified – Fog comes, it sits

About the Author

Carl August Sandburg (1878-1967) was a poet, writer, and editor from the United States. He was awarded three Pulitzer Prizes, two for poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. He wrote poems such as grass, analysis, and Chicago, among others.