About the Poet: Carl Sandburg (1878–1967) was an American poet, biographer, and Pulitzer Prize winner. He was associated with the Chicago Renaissance and is known for his plain-spoken, free verse style. 'Fog' is one of the most famous short poems in American literature — a perfect example of how a single, precise metaphor can capture an entire natural experience.

In just six lines, Carl Sandburg captures the essence of a foggy morning in a city. The poem's central device is an extended metaphor: fog is compared to a cat throughout. Both the fog and a cat share qualities that make this comparison work beautifully — both move silently, both arrive and depart without warning, both sit quietly and look around before moving on.

The poem is famous for its economy: it says everything it needs to in the fewest possible words. There is no wasted language, no decoration. It is pure image, pure moment — a snapshot of a natural event made unforgettable through the precision of its metaphor.

'The fog comes / on little cat feet.' — The fog is personified and compared to a cat. 'Little cat feet' is the poem's most famous image. Cats move silently, stealthily, and without warning. Fog arrives in exactly this way — you don't hear it, you don't see it coming; suddenly it is there. 'Little' suggests the delicacy and gentleness of both the cat and the fog.

'It sits looking / over harbor and city' — Now the fog is settled, like a cat that has found a comfortable spot and is surveying its territory. 'Harbor and city' gives us the setting — this is Chicago, a lakeside city. The fog covers both the open water (harbor) and the urban space (city). The fog's 'looking' is a personification — it has the cat's observant, watchful quality.

'on silent haunches / and then moves on.' — 'Haunches' are a cat's rear legs when it is crouching or sitting. This physical detail makes the metaphor very specific and visual. And then, just as a cat eventually gets up and walks away, the fog simply moves on — without explanation, without drama. The poem ends on this note of quiet departure. The fog, like all beautiful and transient things, does not stay.

1. Nature's Quiet Power: The poem celebrates the silent, subtle power of nature. The fog does not announce itself with drama — it simply arrives and transforms everything in its path.

2. Transience and Impermanence: The fog comes and goes. 'Then moves on' — nothing beautiful and natural lasts forever. The poem captures a fleeting moment in nature.

3. The Power of the Simple Image: The poem demonstrates that a single, precise metaphor can capture enormous experience. Six lines, one metaphor — and a complete world of sensation and observation.

1. Extended Metaphor: The entire poem compares fog to a cat. Every detail of the comparison is extended — arrival ('little cat feet'), sitting ('haunches'), looking, and moving on.

2. Personification: The fog 'sits' and 'looks' — human/animal actions attributed to a natural phenomenon.

3. Free Verse: No fixed rhyme or meter — the poem's freedom mirrors the fog's quiet, unconstrained movement.

4. Imagery: 'Little cat feet,' 'silent haunches,' 'looking over harbor and city' — precise, vivid images.

5. Economy of Language: Six lines capture a complete natural event. Every word is essential — a masterclass in minimalism.