23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
The weight of life

A phantom's voice coils in my ear and I feel the weight of its breath. I whisper, “If only we had lived differently in this land.” If only this illusion would end and I could fly above it. I weave a dream and wrap it around life. It collapses; life always overpowers the will of its people—because against all this dream’s weightlessness, the weight of life is heavier.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Mashhad, Iran
Copyright: © Parisa Akhtari