Lured by the wall, and drawnTo stare below the roof,Where pigeons nest aloofFrom prowling cats and men,I count the sash and barSecured to granite stone,And note the daylight gone,Supper and silence near.

Close to the wall inside,Immured, empty of love,A man I have wondered ofLies patient, vacant-eyed.A month and a day agoHe stopped his car and foundA girl on the darkening ground,And killed her in the snow.

Beside his cell, I am told,Hardy perennial bumsComplain till twilight comesFor hunger and for cold.They hardly know of a dayThat saw their hunger pass.Bred to the dark, their fleshPeacefully withers away.