There’s a few of us he watches, he said. Up there, the old man pointed. Up there, the kid looked up in the sky. He sees it all. The goodness, greatness, horrible things we do to each other. Dark clouds moved in. A floodlight shined down.

He knows, the old prisoner said. Your thoughts, the next move you’ll make, he knows. He knows all the days we count down to freedom. The markings on our walls. There are no secrets, he lit two cigarettes and handed one to the kid.

You say you’re innocent? We all do, he stated. We try to forget our sins. But he knows. See that barbed wire? That’s a reminder. Telling us there is no escape. Some  have tried, he blew smoke into the air. But there’s only so far you can get. He’ll strike you down.

And all the men we’ve murdered, stole from, women we’ve raped, our time is coming. Judgment. He knows. He knows.

Guns cocked. Men walking in circles. A voice over a loud speaker. Saying, line up. Blindfolds are tied. Guards take aim. The man in the sky looks on. He knows.