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1886–1945

A Night-Piece

Thomas Burke

I climbed the other day up to the roof Of the commanding and palatial Home for Asiatics And looked across the city at the hour of no-light. Across great space of dark I looked,

But the skirt of darkness had a hundred rents, Made by the lights of many people's homes. My life is a great skirt of darkness, But human kindliness has torn it through,

So that it shows ten thousand gaping rents Where the light comes in.

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A Night-Piece · Thomas Burke · Poetry Cove