15+ Must-Read Poems about City

(15 to start, 60+ to explore)

Poems about cities capture urban life’s vibrant essence, complexities, and unique character. They delve into the bustling streets, diverse communities, and the myriad experiences found within these urban landscapes.

Within city poems, one can find verses that portray the enchanting allure of city lights, the rhythm of footsteps echoing through the streets, and the intertwining narratives of individuals who call the city their home. These poems often also depict the architecture, landmarks, and iconic features that define a city’s identity, inviting readers to see the familiar through new lenses.

Some poems about cities celebrate the cultural diversity, the vitality of street life, and the sense of possibility that cities offer.

Poem Explorer Poetry Archives

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The City Planners

by Margaret Atwood

‘The City Planners’ by Margaret Atwood is an image-rich poem in which the poet depicts the fundamentally flawed nature of the suburbs.

The poem is a critique of urban planning and its effect on human life. Cities, traditionally hubs of activity and diversity, are portrayed as sterilized spaces, stripped of their vibrancy and complexity.

Cruising these residential Sunday

streets in dry August sunlight:

what offends us is

the sanities:

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Through the Inner City to the Suburbs

by Maya Angelou

‘Through the Inner City to the Suburbs’ by Maya Angelou is a poem about the differences between the inner city and the suburbs and how one is far superior to the other.

The city is a major part of this poem. It is the main focus of the first few stanzas and is something that sticks with the speaker long after they are outside the city limits. The city is filled with incredible people and has a great deal of beauty in it that others might not see.

Secured by sooted windows

And amazement, it is

Delicious. Frosting, filched

From a company cake.

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Polar Exploration

by Stephen Spender

‘Polar Exploration’ reflects upon peaceful isolation and urban life, particularly how the latter appears to make the former impossible.

Despite its title, the poem is as concerned with urban life as it is with the faraway landscape of the poles. Above all, the comparison between the two allows Spender to present the narrator's, and possibly his own, distaste for the modern city.

Our single purpose was to walk through snow

With faces swung to their prodigious North

Like compass iron. As clerks in whited Banks

With bird-claw pens column virgin paper

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City of Ships

by Walt Whitman

‘City of Ships’ by Walt Whitman praises the city of New York giving specific focus and awe to its crowded harbors.

One of the central topics of this poem by Walt Whitman is the identity and spirit of the city of New York. Many of the poet's works also seek to illustrate the many moving parts and souls that comprise its urban landscape with poems like 'Mannahatta' and this one attempting to wrangle its plurality into verse.

City of ships!

(O the black ships! O the fierce ships!

O the beautiful sharp-bow'd steam-ships and sail-ships!)

City of the world! (for all races are here,

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Mannahatta

by Walt Whitman

‘Mannahatta’ by Walt Whitman is a stunning poem that marvels over a city deeply admired by the poet, encompassing all the wondrous elements of its populace.

This poem exists as Whitman's ode to Manhattan. One that illustrates the scenery and spirit of the city in starkly vivid and cataloged images. It's clear from the speaker's tone that they echo the poet's reverence of all that makes the city thrum to life and the natural elements that surround it.

I was asking for something specific and perfect for my city,

Whereupon lo! upsprang the aboriginal name.

Now I see what there is in a name, a word, liquid, sane, unruly, musical, self-sufficient,

I see that the word of my city is that word from of old,

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A Wider View

by Seni Seneviratne

‘A Wider View’ by Seni Seneviratne looks at the life of the poet’s ancestor while showing the poet’s own connection to this shared heritage.

The city of Leeds is an important aspect of this poem. The narrator feels a connection to their ancestor through the city that they shared. The old buildings that have been redeveloped show the link between the past and the present. The city could be seen as one of the main characters in the poem. It represents both the negative aspects of life in the industrial age and the hope for a better tomorrow, as the poet's ancestor looks beyond the city limits to something else. The urban setting of this poem is instrumental to the narrative and depicts the evolution of a city from the Industrial Revolution to the modern day.

From the back yard of his back-to-back,

my great-great-granddad searched for spaces

in the smoke-filled sky to stack his dreams,

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The Cities Inside Us

by Alberto Ríos

‘The Cities Inside Us’ by Alberto Ríos uses surreal imagery to imply that the collective sum of all of our experiences are stored within our bodies.

The cities alluded to in the title are figurative rather than literal. The poet uses them as a symbol to evoke the vastness as well as the variety of our internal experiences. Just as a city is made up of countless disparate parts and elements, so too is our identity and, like cities, it is in a near constant state of flux.

We live in secret cities

And we travel unmapped roads.

We speak words between us that we recognize

But which cannot be looked up.

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Chicago Poem

by Lew Welch

Explore the harsh urban landscape and societal challenges in ‘Chicago Poem’ by Lew Welch, a thought-provoking reflection on mid-20th-century life.

This poem effectively portrays the city as a central character in the narrative. It very evocatively captures the essence of Chicago, emphasizing its industrialization and its consequent environmental impact. The poem encapsulates the city's challenges and complexities, depicting it as an unforgiving and relentless force. Through rich imagery and symbolism, it provides a striking portrayal of urban life in the mid-20th century. While it doesn't offer a comprehensive or exhaustive depiction of the city, it does successfully convey a powerful and thought-provoking perspective on Chicago.

I lived here nearly 5 years before I could

meet the middle western day with anything approaching

Dignity. It’s a place that lets you

understand why the Bible is the way it is:

Proud people cannot live here.

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City of Orgies

by Walt Whitman

‘City of Orgies’ by Walt Whitman is a poem written by the celebrated American poet Walt Whitman. The poem is a reflection on the city of Manhattan and Whitman’s experiences in the midst of its bustling urban culture.

The city is the primary setting for 'City of Orgies,' with Whitman capturing the unique energy and diversity of urban life. His poetry reflects the excitement, chaos, and complexity of the city, celebrating its vibrancy and vitality.

City of orgies, walks and joys,

City whom that I have lived and sung in your midst will one day

make you illustrious,

Not the pageants of you, not your shifting tableaus, your specta-

cles, repay me,

#10

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New York

by Léopold Sédar Senghor

‘New York’ by Léopold Sédar Senghor serves as a call to action for the city’s people to uplift and absorb as a means of rejuvenation its Black citizenry.

Many a poem has been written in ode to great cities, and plenty has been written about New York itself. But Senghor's is a deeply personal celebration that hones in on his valorization of Blackness and views it through that radiant lens. As a result, it is not just a superficial ode to the city but also to its people.

New York! At first I was bewildered by your beauty,

Those huge, long-legged, golden girls.

So shy, at first, before your blue metallic eyes and icy smile,

So shy. And full of despair at the end of skyscraper streets

#11

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Memorial

by Colm Keegan

Colm Keegan confronts the violent deaths of young men in Ireland in ‘Memorial’, rewinding the clock to a time they were happy and free.

Based in Dublin City, this poem reflects the increased crime rate within urban areas. Keegan masterfully creates a city suburb setting which appears familiar to most. In doing this, he highlights the underprivileged and neglected areas which fall into criminality. This is shown through the tussocky wasteland behind the housing which is neglected itself. Keegan highlights the growing epidemic of violence amongst young men in Irish cities.

a house filled with your friends:

young good-looking boys and girls

music and a party starting

as soon as you step in.

#12

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Chicago

by Carl Sandburg

‘Chicago’ written by Carl Sandburg is a poem of admiration and self-defense. It was published in his collection ‘Chicago Poems.’

This poem centers on the city of Chicago, capturing both its hardships and its energy. The speaker paints a picture of a place that is dirty, loud, and sometimes dangerous, but also alive and full of spirit. It shows how a city can be tough and flawed but still be loved. The poem offers a real and honest look at urban life, focusing on how the people and their daily efforts shape what the city becomes.

Hog Butcher for the World,

Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,

Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;

Stormy, husky, brawling,

#13

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Steps

by Frank O’Hara

‘Steps’ by Frank O’Hara is one of the poet’s many pieces that explores life in New York City. It is written in his characteristic style and is filled with allusions that are sometimes hard to interpret.

City life is the central image at work in this poem. The poet taps into modern images of New York City and the people within it to describe why he feels so lucky to be alive in New York.

How funny you are today New York

like Ginger Rogers in Swingtime

and St. Bridget’s steeple leaning a little to the left

#14

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Summer Solstice, New York City

by Sharon Olds

‘Summer Solstice, New York City’ by Sharon Olds is a deeply moving poem that conveys the tender importance of remembering our capacity for human compassion.

Since the poem takes place in New York City, the location is an important part of the poem. Olds clearly has an optimistic and humanistic view of the city itself and the people who live there. The way the poem unfolds serves as an expression of faith in both that they will come together to save even just one person caught in a spiral of despair.

By the end of the longest day of the year he could not stand it,

he went up the iron stairs through the roof of the building

#15

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A Long Journey

by Musaemura Zimunya

‘A Long Journey’ by Musaemura Zimunya is based on the changes that came to Rhodesia, a small country in southern Africa, after British colonial rule. The speaker explores the positive changes and the negative.

The city in the poem represents change and progress. It is depicted as a place that brings opportunities, the allure of modernity, and the promise of a better life. However, it is also portrayed as a source of conflict and a reminder of the struggles and hardships faced by those who have migrated from rural areas.

Through decades that ran like rivers

endless rivers of endless woes

through pick and shovel sjambok and jail

O such a long long journey

Home » Collection » Poems about City

15+ Must-Read Poems about City

(15 to start, 60+ to explore)

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15+ Must-Read Poems about City

(15 to start, 60+ to explore)

by Margaret Atwood

by Maya Angelou

by Stephen Spender

by Walt Whitman

by Walt Whitman

by Seni Seneviratne

by Alberto Ríos

by Lew Welch

by Walt Whitman

by Léopold Sédar Senghor

by Colm Keegan

by Carl Sandburg

by Frank O’Hara

by Sharon Olds

by Musaemura Zimunya

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