Guts Of A Beggar

Twist and squirm on the hook
Swallowed whole by the fish
Drawn deep into its gorge
Flavoring for the dish
So the worm from the grave
Gravely worms back to one
Cleaned and dressed for the feast
Then betrayed by the Sun

The conqueror's conqueror
Has hollows for eyes
The emperor's emperor
All lipless and smiles

Here hung those lips that I kissed
I know not how oft
Here sat that devilish grin
Now how abhorred in my
Imagination it is
When did you get so thin?
Fine imperial shrouds
Eaten through, eaten through
And the jewels on his crown
Reinterred just like you

The conqueror's conqueror
Has hollows for eyes
The emperor's emperor
All lipless and smiles

The conqueror's conqueror
The emperor's emperor
The coroner's coroner
The gravedigger's smile

Rest my hand on the pane of the window into your domain
Press my ear to the door till the whispers become something more
The worm eats for two
The worm passes through me into you

How can you just step over me? I'm still a man
Even stewing in my own filth, I'm still a man
As my belly grows emptier, my mind expands
Here's a handwritten list of my current demands

Liquor
Cocaine
Words exchanged

How can you just step over me? I was a man
Lying here, rotting peacefully, I was a man
Fatting worms as I once only fatted myself
Slipping into the soil with loosening belt

Casting my line
Give it some slack
Snagging your crown
Tossing it back
For what need have I
For more bells on my cap
As I walk the sea floor
In the guts of a crab?