Alexandria Poem

The setting sun on leaving Alexandria
Was on fire as if it would burn the earth
When it reached the horizon.
A deep vermillion pyridoxine orange
I expected to see at any moment
Flames bursting forth from its fiery surface.
They say the brilliant colors of a sunset
Are most spectacular when airborne pollutants
Fill the city skies at dusk.
A big price to pay but a spot of beauty nonetheless

Do the poor on the rooftops of Cairo
Look up at day's end to admire
The color so sacred to Buddha who they know nothing about?
Is their world affected by the sun as in ancient times
When the sun god Ra was all important?

In the lifeblood of its people
The Nile and the Sun once ruled supreme.
Though the Nile no longer floods in summer
The sun still rises in the east each dawn
And boats still sail.
The poor are still farmers as in ancient times
The Pharaoh is now president of the Republic
And Nubian soldiers are now police of every category.