Two Cities – a poem by Leela Soma

Home » Art & artists Glasgow West End » Poetry » Two Cities – a poem by Leela Soma

Two Cities – a poem by Leela Soma

Buffalo NY and Glasgow, so much in common. Tartan & Turmeric

Two cities

The two could be twinned, history so familiar
Niagara River, and Erie Canal made this city
As grain silos rose up in the sky, men worked hard
To get the grain ashore, milled and built steel.
The city of light, the Niagara Falls harnessed
To serve mankind, in all its glory and awe
The people of all colours sweated their labours
To make this proud city, aglow, resplendent.
Today, bleak in recession hit-West
Buffalo tries harder, the University is
A blessing, the young indebted for a future
Wait for the day, for the sun to rise again.
Glasgow, a proud second city, industries of coal
Steel and ships, the Queen’s ships built on River Clyde
Men and women of steel who gave of their lives
Working hard, skills of a lifetime cherished.
But the recession-hit world looks askance
As the unemployed youth grows and despairs that
The shipyards no longer strikes iron, jobs dwindle
The two cities twinned in hope, for a brighter tomorrow.