Six Seconds (Slight Return)

This contains a link to another poem I posted on my booksie.com account. The two are companion pieces, but can be read independently of one another.

Here's the first one:
http://www.booksie.com/poetry/poetry/rasputin/six-seconds-to-live

Slight Return

He's on his knees, facing away from you
You're a thousand miles from nowhere, it seems
Just you and him, and the woods, and the snow
And the gun
Can I pray?
You tell him you don't care
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name
You exhale a plume of vapor that seems to freeze even before it leaves your lungs
His hands are folded in prayer
In your right hand you're holding the gun
Your left hand is jammed into your coat pocket
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
How many times have you heard this?
It's funny when you think about it- this is actually how you learned the Lord's Prayer
Not in a church, but in moments like this
On Earth as it is in Heaven
How many times have you done this? A dozen? Twenty? More?
Can you even remember when you stopped counting?
No, why should you?
One face is very much the same as the next
Give us this day our daily bread
It used to be that when you walked someone out into the woods like this, you had questions
Like, does he have a family?
Who will miss him when he's gone?
And what did he do to deserve this?
But such questions don't do anyone any good
It's not your job to ask questions- it's your job to take out the trash
And forgive us our trespasses
The first time you did this, when you "popped your cherry", as they say, you couldn't stop shaking afterwards
You felt sick
You didn't sleep for a week, and then that man haunted your dreams when you finally slipped into a coma of exhaustion
His face is the only one you still remember
And you never even knew his name
As we forgive those who trespass against us
After that, it got easier every time
You barely register the report of the gunshot anymore
Lead us not into temptation
This poor schmuck in front of you now- all you now about him is that he's worth $5,000
He's not a human being; how could he be?
He's just an expensive fly in the ointment
But deliver us from evil
When you leave here, you'll be five grand ahead
But he can't leave
They might not even be able to identify him using dental records
There's a .45 hollow-point seated in the chamber
His face will pop open like a grape
His features will hang from his skull like slovenly party decorations, leaking blood onto the snow
This doesn't bother you anymore
Just part of the job
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory
The gun is cocked
The safety's off
The chamber's loaded
You stare at the back of his head, knowing that yours is the last human face he will ever see
If there is a Hell, you're gonna have alot to answer for when you get there
Forever and ever
This may be you one day, sitting on your knees on the frozen ground
Yes, this may be you one day, with a fledgling killer holding a gun to your head
Hearing your last words
But today is not that day
You take a deep breath
Amen
He shudders
He knows what's coming, just as well as you do
You pull the trigger
The gunshot is as loud as it was that first day
But you don't jump
Neither does he
Somewhere a crow caws, as if testifying to the indifference of God and nature 
The bullet punches through his head, and the shape of his skull obscures a pinkish-red mist that materializes in front of him
That used to be his face
For a second, he doesn't move- he just sits there, as if something in the distance demands his undivided attention
Then he falls forward, as if surrendering to exhaustion
You put the gun in your pocket
You turn and walk away
It's a very real possibility that it'll be you out here, one day, being led into the woods like a dog
Dying on your knees, a thousand miles from nowhere
But not today

02-13-2012

Reviews

[Nautili]

wow....never read a poem from the perspective of a hit-man before. very interesting...I take it that your point to this piece how life in our culture has become" a dog eat dog world".....that a human being's life could be worth money, even as low as a few thousand dollars...the deterioration of the sanctity of life in this world..the crow cawing reminding you of the indifference to life from even God, but to me, it was like he was a witness in nature to the atrocities of mankind.

[Watermelon Kisses]

This. Is. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!! Wow, that's so deep, I love it! I'm a Goth so I'm going to print this and hang it on my bedroom wall!!!!!

[Marie]

Someone else found this to be complex, but I found it a simple story of a commonplace happening. I see you as an etremely good writer, but not a particularly good one. Correct me if I'm wrong...