Dangerous Liaisons

As a farmhand I had
No aversion to killing
But to murder a man in cold blood
Was something entirely different

One dawn, one spring
One man came to me
Out of tire screech
Of a black MG
Dark-clad, upright, emaciated, lips curved
He said, "My friend, would you like to make some cash tonight?"

"Some people really are awful," he said
"This you can't deny"
"Some people are as useless as lids on a fish's eyes"
No pistols, no blades
Strangulation was how it had to be
He could depend on the strength of a man of manual labor
The perfect idiot for his need

Persuasion-wise, he had a real gift
Temptation had me by the balls
He sold me a dream, and I fell in
For no reason except I'm a fool

To sign away eternity with one stroke
A blind greedy hoax, the joke of all jokes
I'll tell you for free
It wasn't like a pig's squeal!
Job done
No word from anyone

I scour the pool halls, the strip bars, and casinos
No man was skinny enough to vaguely resemble my friend who said
Who said, "We'll meet at The Queen at 8"
Ten grand in your pocket, don't be late"
No sign of the black-clad gang man

Front page news: "Random killing"
"No gang affiliation, no mob justice"
"Murder!"

To see the bruised neck I wrecked, immortalized in print
A circle opened from the black and white picture
And my search for that face was complete
He climbed out the page and shed his skin
Revealing the red king
This was no mafioso, this was Satan himself
True evil, the stench of an unknowable wealth
"You're coming with me, son"
The cries, anguish, torment
The shame, pain, heartache, suffering, futile regret!