In the rare-silence
of his mountainside perch,
he contemplated all
the mysteries of the universe.

A million miles away
from peace and comfort,
he struggled
between duty &
the obvious sound of goat bells
down in the valley,
moving up,
a short-distance away.

For he knew,
nobody had a clue he was there,
a trained assassin waiting
in a death-lair
with only one mission,
not to let anyone pass alive.

The meaning of life
radiated in the birds
that swirled above him,
trapped in the heat waves
circling up
into the sunlight.

And death
was in his implement,
aimed on the pathway.
He was the ruler of the day
the devil of the night,
fighting his judgement.

Concealed,
he sat listening,
beads of sweat rolled
down his temples
as the silence
slowly disappeared &
the tinkling
got louder.

Hell was moments away,
he took a deep breath,
closed his eyes &
prayed for forgiveness,