Two City Poems 

by Marc Mangel

One

The setting sun dips

The buildings of Knoxville are

afire in reflected light

 

They are autumn leaves

of unnatural colors

A purple never seen

and not imagined (that’s hard – to imagine a new color)

A yellow not from our sun

Too many kinds of reds

 

Darkness comes…

Lines recede and disappear

Only light remains

 

Two

The buildings of New York rise as

mountains around Central Park

Catching light, throwing it back

And each time I think that I’m there

Comes another bend in the path — I am not

 

But it is crisp fall day

Leaves still on trees threatening

to drop

more horses drawing lovers

swaddled to see the park

than cars (except for cabs)

 

I hike this mountain/city plateau

from northeast to southwest

amazed at the beauty that comes from

man and nature together

 

Nov 2013-Apr 2015