Last of a Kind

A shape emerged from swirling mist,
A long coat billowing behind;
A tall man in a wide-brimmed hat,
And he seemed like the last of a kind.

The face half shadowed in the gloom
Was by ancient injustices lined;
And though betraying pain – hope glowed
In the eyes of the last of a kind.

A sudden blaze, a puff of smoke,
Revealed the character fate designed
For violent deeds in the dark, mean streets,
That had fostered the last of a kind.

He was sardonic, cynical – yet true,
Commanded honesty rare to find;
And he was neither tarnished nor afraid,
But forever the last of a kind.

He’d trusted few, yet trusted me;
A human need he’d not declined,
But my bleak intent misunderstood,
For I judged him the last of a kind

The bait was laid, the trap was sprung,
And far too late he read my mind;
But still defiant as he faced a doom,
Engineered for the last of a kind.

I loosed my coat and smiled at him,
For only love could make him blind;
And when I fired and shot him down,
I made sure of the last of a kind.