Have you ever shaken hands with a killer?

[BelialNaoe]

Have you ever shaken hands with a killer,
And noticed from just their touch
That they've paid for all of their sins?
As living with guilt is far too much.

Have you ever shaken hands with a killer,
And felt the tide of their misery
Crash against the palm of your hand?
A life story in one moment of synergy.

Have you ever shaken hands with a killer,
And felt the sweat of their crimes?
When closer than any other,
You understand they've done their time.

Have you ever shaken hands with a killer?
Their grip, so tight, like love's grasp,
And their eyes pierce yours,
As if to say, how they long to correct their past.

Have you ever shaken hands with a killer?
Most have, but few recall,
For they are many in number, but still so rare to find,
They do so much to hide their evil.

Have you ever shaken hands with me?
If so I hope you know my dread,
For what I've done is inexcusable,
And all that I love, is dead.

I like it, for sure, it doesn't feel as forced as many poems can so easily. I feel similar to others about recall/evil, so I won't waste time with it.

The third stanza stands(a) out to me. It's the only one that the middle two lines aren't part of the same sentence, which, doesn't /REALLY/ matter in the scheme of things, it does change the flow when doing a spoken reading.

Also, in the fourth stanza, maybe start the 3rd line with something other than 'and', maybe switching it with as. I don't think the repetition of 'as' would hurt, and I think would make the line a bit more.. poignant? I guess.

(And on an unrealistic note, if you could get Christopher Lee to do a spoken word of this, it'd be just amazing. I read it in his voice from the start!)