Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, FIVE POINTS, 1838, by LAUGHTON OSBORN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

FIVE POINTS, 1838, by                    
First Line: Fast by the dike, where frown the granite eaves
Last Line: In laurens street, the southern side of broom.
Subject(s): Five Points, New York City; Homeless; Hunger; New York City - 19th Century


Fast by the dike, where frown the granite eaves
Of the huge dome Manhattan rears for thieves,
A range of filthy dwelling houses stood,
Fac'd with dull brick, and bridg'd with steps of wood.
Here, in chalk'd spaces, seven feet by four,
Crowd various families a common floor;
The night's straw sack their musty couch by day,
While on the loathsome plank their broken victuals lay.
Dogs, cats, and children in one litter cry,
And mud-cak'd pigs encroach upon the sty.
Without, all wreck and nastiness; within,
Starvation, sickness, vermin, stench, and sin.
Such hives as still are found, with ev'n less room,
In Laurens Street, the southern side of Broom.





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