%
% Three Portraits of Cereal Killers
%
% Reuben Thomas
%
% Typeset   15th August 2009
%


\documentclass[english]{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage{a4,babel,palatino}
\usepackage{poem}

\pagestyle{empty}

\begin{document}
\begin{poem}
\title{Three Portraits of Cereal Killers}
\stanza*[1. Circle makers]
In dead of night they steal—who knows? \\
Soft from starships or on tip-toes? \\
To leave a sign or play a trick? \\
To teach the wise or gull the thick? \\
With ray guns or with planks of wood?— \\
To break their necks before they should \\
And leave thousands of unripe dead \\
And feed them tales who expected bread. \\

\stanza*[2. Breakfast brands]
The box’s gaudy sides belie \\
The dust-dry lumps within \\
It most definitely does not do \\
What they say on the tin \\
Was it for this dull mockery \\
That we got out of bed? \\
As healthy as it claims to be \\
It’s definitely dead. \\

\stanza*[3. Hades]
Doomed by his dark dominion of the dead \\
Never to feel a woman’s loving touch— \\
O hard fate! even for a god too much— \\
He dared violent trickery instead. \\
When she by hunger past endurance tried \\
Yielded and ate, part of his heart for love \\
Died too to save the rest; meanwhile, above, \\
Alone and desolate her mother cried. \\

\author{Reuben Thomas}
\poemdate{7th--13th August 2009}
\end{poem}
\begin{notes}
  Written for the poetry evening “Vicious Killers” at the Whitechapel
  Gallery on 13th August 2009, mostly in the National Gallery on 7th
  August 2009, and tweaked thereafter. I don’t think anyone at the
  reading got the pun.
\end{notes}
\end{document}
