we’re looking for someone to be
the right killer for the job with
arms that will hold and squeeze
the wrong ones till they’re blue and small

we’re looking for
the right killer for the job
someone who can make it all seem
inevitable

someone who can nod his head
and shake our hands while claiming it’s cool enough
to start a fire on a distant hearth
someone who will not smell the flesh roasting

we’re looking for our kind of killer
with anguished eyes and a do-right hand
with a steady aim and a crestfallen lip
with a cowboy’s heart and a minister’s voice

our kind of killer says he
doesn’t play favorites
our kind of killer says we
mean well and will be well

all will be well on the other side
of our kind of killing
with the flag as tricolor nightvision scope
with the anthem as bombastic silencer

we’re looking for our kind of killer
to make us feel better about the way we smell
when our red white and blue turns
to blown brain grey and dry blood brown

give us the kind of killer we deserve
someone who understands how we want to be loved
with malice toward none
and charity toward all