All afternoon I sat in the shade
Of a hideous skyscraper
On the Avenue.
Women of all sorts went by
And their footgear and stockings
Were varied.
Skirts that our grandmothers used
To clothe five- and ten-year-old girlies
Revealed twelve inches of hose—
Nor the three-shade boots that shod them
Would help a Chinaman guess
The age of the wearers who proudly
Boasted this awful foundation....
And yet are most of the women
Sweet-souled and modest....
I polished my claws once again!