velvet guillotine

A snake,
if caught
unaware,

can
look
kind.

Its razorblade
eyes
pinching with
empathy

its
hisses
molded
into lullaby.

I've seen
hard rain
make
hard men

weep
at the sound
of an old
'78
or maybe
a silver metal
cap-gun
reporting
from a doughy hand.

Like paint or clay
or
the hearts of
old killers
things have a way of
coming together.