Once

once a beggar in Amsterdam's dim quiet districts -
always a beggar
once whipped - whipped always
once in the gutter -
ends up in the gutter
once betrayed - always betrayed
once forgotten -
never forgotten
once revolutionary -
always a hobo
once a golden pallbearer
always a golden pallbearer
once a proud drunkard -
always a drunkard
once a junky - always a junky
a vein's explorer's a vein's explorer
once a stripper - always a stripper
once a word-garland - always a garland
once swarthy Arabian boys souteneur -
always Arabian boys souteneur
once an empty suitcase bearer
always an empty suitcase
bearer
once the airport's passive tramp
always the airport's passive
tramp
once a Marrakesh dizzy voyager -
always a dizzy Marrakesh voyager
once a cheap erotica writer -
always a writer
once a hornblower -
always a bird
once dancin' the devil -
always the devil dancin'
once a pusher - always a pusher
once an amateur stuntman -
always an amateur stuntman
once a spare passenger
always a spare passenger
once a soothing survivor -
always a soothing survivor
once in Paris -
always in Paris
once Madame Bleu's lover
always her lover
once dead
always reborn
once a pagan deconstructor -
always a pagan deconstructor
once a car-crasher
always car-crashing
once a cheap landscape painter
always a cheap landscape painter
once love's beautiful monster
always a beautiful monster
once in the cyclone of all god's plagues
always the cyclone
of all god's plagues
once a loser -
always a loser
once denied - always on top
once on top -
always fallen