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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 6, No. 9 July 14, 1943

You see what i Mean by Beauty

You see what i Mean by Beauty

Beauty is Alive
That once to me was only Sweet ...
I've heard the scream of braked wheels
And seen time-tied faces weighted by aching feet
I've smelt soot
And felt its smirching fingers
In suburban trains
That rock and grind and creak and hiss . . .
What could make me ache for beauty more than this?
Ugliness Ugliness everywhere
Rusting iron and city dirt
Painted faces superficially bright
That pucker when exposed to light
High-heeled shoes pecking at the pavement
Drooping shoulders, hollow cheeks
Clanging trams, bulging with bodies
After five o'clock; People
Streaming into the railway station
Like sheep from the yards at shearing time
Yes Beauty is Alive
That once to me was only Sweet