Nominated! Will be back to leave a proper comment!

"I wake up
the weight of the day heavy
like unkneaded dough
I want to punch,
forcing my way through
the dense stickiness
of this morning."

The concept of unkneaded dough works so well; I love the imagery of kneading dough in poetry, it's something so simple yet so impactful. Working through problems until they're solved, wanting to punch it down is an unabashed way of voicing your frustration. The stickiness relates back to the dough, and possibly the weather (humidity/fog).

"It gums up between my
thoughts,
refusing to rise."

This ties in nicely with what you said earlier - 'the weight of the day', unable to rise because of the weight.

"I spit, washing the taste
of mint from my mouth
and wonder,
half-longingly,
if there is hope waiting
on the horizon.
I cannot see it
for the fog."

I think this just might be my favourite part of the poem - it captures that split moment between morning haze where you're just acutely aware of that existential dread and facing the day, before you're forced to resign to whatever routine you have. It's just so raw, it's almost as if you're able to peer through a mirror and have it not reflect back.

Anyway I just wanted to highlight some things that I really enjoyed about this piece. Well-written as always!

The metaphor of dough is excellent for conveying that stodgy early morning waking feeling. Spitting mint signifies the abrupt transition from stodgy to the beginning of the day with its usual concerns. A well captured moment. Milly x

I also love the metaphor of dough here. You gave us a familiar thing (your dough metaphor), and made use understand the emotion that went into it very well.
I really like this!