An Unravelling Sky

About this piece

A grey fighter jet banks beneath an array of burning flares, their white smoke trails stretching across a saturated blue sky. Sunlight reveals the aircraft’s angular surfaces, while diagonal streaks and near-vertical ribbons surround it with a sweeping geometry. The composition holds a moment of intense movement in apparent suspension.

The story

On this second day of January, the sky holds a brief constellation of orange light. Each burning point draws a pale thread through the blue, some taut, others loosening into curls. Below them, the aircraft turns, its hard edges distinct against the spreading haze. The year is barely underway, and already these marks begin to dissolve.