The comic book villain, usually
More genre-savvy than the hero,
Thought the story would be longer.
Despite robbing bank after bank
He somehow has no money so
He checks the ads but they're all
For air-guns or x-ray specs,
For lovable sea monkeys or for jobs
Selling a newspaper called Grit.
("Everyone loves Grit!")
In time the ghosts lose hold
Of their names but remember
What they charged. "Five pounds
For a night in a well-furnished room."
"A half-guinea for an hour in a shed."
"Some pennies for three minutes against a wall."
The executors' inventory revealed
King's painter François-Hubert Drouais
Left behind an army of spoons each of which
Knew its place, as did François-Hubert.
Aside from a brigade of miscellaneous spoons
Willing to do almost anything there were
Soup spoons, table spoons, tea spoons,
Coffee spoons, dessert spoons, salt spoons,
Olive spoons, gravy spoons, sugar spoons
Jam spoons and one spoon that scorned
To touch anything but mustard.
