Ulciscere

And so it has come to this moment.

He stands with his back towards the surf. 

Stumbling as the waves buffet him. But he keeps his footing, for now.

I stand on the shore.

He can’t stay there forever.

All his years of running have finally brought him here. 

Trapped between the jaws of the hungry ocean, and the surety of my blade between his ribs.

I see the exhaustion in his gaunt face.

I watch as blood from his wounds seep into the ocean, carried away by the tide.

Is that salt spray or tears running down his face?