METAPHYSICS: "TRAPPED IN THE HAZE" BY SHAH JEHAN ASHRAFI AND SOMDATTA MITRA

The silky night weaves conspiracies.

Some might be thinking:

The following day will bring

more hope than the day that has faded.

Some might know that 

There is no light at all

At the end of the tunnel.

Some might believe 

That suffering tastes bad;

It is made up of smokes,

guns, bombs and corpses.

Humans do not know about humanity.

They are without emotions, enchanted rainbows 

And perhaps they don’t have illusions 

that can make them question things 

And dwell in the marshes of empathy.

They are trapped in the haze

And the colour red is a cruel

passion without any compassion.

Boundaries are blurred.

Hope and despair resemble 

And everything is 

without purpose and meaning.

© Shah Jehan Ashrafi 

- Canada

Eirene lives in every soul,

In every catharsis, her image is reflected in the mirror.

Susurrus to our ears, a numinous, irenic sensitivity,

Unleashing itself through philanthropy, kindness and empathy.

Ubuntu restores that peace;

In sonder, we learn the grace of being considerate.

The pulse of concord, binding us to one another,

Perhaps creates the bridge of forgiveness.

There is hope; there is light

In our own hidden realisation.

The unfurling flag of fraternity

Embraces us silently.

Peace does not arrive on horseback;

It enters barefoot through the door of a softened heart.

The world will heal when we learn to listen

Beyond the borders of language.

Peace is not the silence after the cannon;

It is the song that prevents the cannon from speaking.

The wounded world does not need another conqueror;

It needs a compassionate witness.

Peace is a river

That remembers no enemy, only the sea.

In victorious surrender to compassion,

We may seek the stillness of nirvana.

Let borders become garlands of fraternity,

Where every difference flowers into harmony,

And no soul remains lost in the maze of enmity.

© Somdatta Mitra 

- India

“Trapped in the Haze”, collaboratively written by Shah Jehan Ashrafi and Somdatta Mitra, explores the destructive consequences of war, hatred, and the loss of human compassion. The first part presents a world overshadowed by uncertainty, suffering, violence, and despair. Through images of guns, bombs, corpses, smoke, and the colour red, the poets portray humanity as being trapped in a psychological and moral “haze” where the distinction between hope and hopelessness becomes increasingly difficult to recognise. The poem questions how humans can lose their sense of humanity and become indifferent to the suffering of others.

The second part shifts from despair toward the possibility of peace and reconciliation. The poet introduces ideas such as Eirene, Ubuntu, empathy, kindness, forgiveness, and fraternity as forces capable of healing a divided world. Peace is presented not merely as the absence of war, but as an active commitment to compassion, understanding, listening, and mutual respect. The imagery of a softened heart, a river, a bridge, and a garland of fraternity reinforces the possibility of overcoming hostility and embracing unity.

Ultimately, the poem is a humanitarian appeal against violence and division. It suggests that lasting peace cannot be achieved through conquest or silence but through empathy and a willingness to recognise the humanity of others. By moving from the darkness of conflict to the light of compassion, the poets encourage humanity to abandon enmity and build a world where differences become sources of harmony rather than reasons for destruction.