Mine To Take
A Villanelle
Perched, poised, placed in position
Knife at the ready, wind from the east
Carve with my dagger, information released
Nothing but me, me and my mission
.
A bullet is issued from across the street
Anger floods me; revenge is not sweet
Assess, reassess the Boss hisses in my ear
Failure on my part is not tolerated here
The target sputters her life on the ground
Alpine snow forming the grave she's found
.
That girl was my mission; that mission was mine
Who are you, interloper, to take that from me?
The intel is gone, crimson blood seeping free
Already I hear punishments electronic whine
.
I'll make you regret that shot fired in the night
You're a threat you've just shown, but I own this fight
Across the dark clearing the sniper I find
She was not yours to kill! I shriek in my mind
I don't even flinch as I drop from my post
Hushed footsteps fall, the whispers of a ghost
.
Bullets like banshees banish his life
Down he tumbles from his spot on a limb
I holster my pistols, kick his corpse on a whim
Muse on my master as I re-sheath my knife
.
The target is dead; my mission has failed
Beyond a hunter's gaze my shaken heart quailed
The Boss does not take kindly to such mistakes
As I stare at the target, I shiver and quake
I wish I were them a voice whimpers in my head
It would be better, right now, if all three here were dead
