A Poem is a City by Charles Bukowski

This poem is more of a free verse style. There isn't any real organization to it, or rhyme scheme. There are few figurative languages used. Repetition is definitely a key element in this poem. Another major figurative language used are metaphors. The whole poem is basically just a comparison of poems to something he feels it relates to. Each thing that the narrator compares poems to is something he feels is worthy enough to compare to such an art. Allusion is also used when Bukowski writes, "a poem is a city where God rides naked through the streets like Lady Godiva." In the last stanza, the narrator explains that he doesn't care what the editor of this poem thinks of the poem, only that he is glad he got his point across.

In the City by Jeremy Patnou

Again, this poem is a free verse style; no rhyme. Although there was one time where internal rhyme was used, and then another rhyme which led out of the internal poem. (Lines 7-9) Imagery is strongly emphasized in this poem. Patnou really wanted to give us his perception of city life. Overall, I think he thinks the city as somewhere dirty, and smothering. He talks of "the machine breaking down," and "the path which I tread is laden with traps." Living in the city is something that totally consumes the mind and body, maybe temporarily, maybe forever. It's possible that Patnou wasn't being so literal about "hating" the city. He could've been talking about some higher power, weather it be religious or governmental. Those too are things that hold people down, and sometimes force them to do things they'd rather not be apart of.