| Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. 1912–22. | | | | Dingy Street | | By Marjorie Allen Seiffert |
| | From “Gallery of Paintings”
IT is twilight by the dreary edge of town, | |
| And the December air | |
| Is harsh and bitter. All the trees are bare, | |
| The leaves are scattered and trodden down | |
| To pulp; and every house is brown. | 5 |
| There is no trace of beauty anywhere. | |
| |
| Night comes slowly, the houses hide in the gloom; | |
| But toward the muddy street | |
| One by one their shabby windows bloom | |
| Like golden flowers, to shine and greet | 10 |
| The bundled effigies on sodden feet | |
| Trudging toward welcome in the hidden room. | |
| |
| There is a magic in it. There once more, | |
| Body and spirit, they are warmed and fed. | |
| There, as a thousand times before, | 15 |
| The ancient feast is spread— | |
| The simple miracles of love and bread. | |
| They stumble into beauty at the door. | | | | |
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