If Alex knew
That, just behind the door,
A dead man sat,
On the doorstep,
A gun cradled in his arms
(Because this man is an assassin
Not a father
Or a lover
Or a friend.
This man is an assassin:
He kills.)
Then he would open it.
The door.
Push down the handle
And sit down
On the doorstep
Next to the assassin.
But he is asleep,
And the assassin is a dead man.
So, Alex won't,
Because
In the lights of the streetlamps,
In the night air,
In the silence of sky velvet
And the breathing of lonely people,
The assassin sits,
Watching
And no-one knows he's here.
He is the guard dog of the house.
Pretending to be.
Just for one night.
If Alex knew,
Alex would join him,
But the doorstep is blank next to him
And Alex is asleep.