Gun Point

He spins around and faces me, his legs plant down just right. No longer will he run from me, he’s fixing for a fight He reaches down and so do I, I grab my trusted Glock I raise it to his chest real quick, I swear the clock had stopped. My finger finds the trigger, slowly I begin to squeeze And as I reach the no return, he screams just shoot me please Those words I never heard at all, so focused on my aim Fight or flight in full effect, auditory exclusion was to blame But as he screamed in silence, his arms shot up above his head My finger too now on the guard, so close to throwing lead Resting on the chain link fence, I know my aim is true You used a gun to rob those folks, so we have come for you In the darkness he kept reaching, and as he did, I squeezed The still within the chaos, not sure if I had breathed Every time his arms went up, my finger fell away The last thing that I wanted, was to take a life that day He gave up, we got the gun, and no one else was hurt That day was way too close, to putting someone in the dirt I knew he had a gun, from the marks the victims let me see So many times, I pulled it back, I counted at least three I waited for a muzzle flash, because I needed to just know It would have been too late by then, but that’s how hindsight goes I had to be completely sure, before the bullet was sent on track Choices like that once they’re made, you cannot take them back The waiting could have killed me, or maybe my partner too You don’t know that choices weight and I pray you never do.