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# Once
- URL: https://www.qntns.com/once/
- Published: 2025-06-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-31T16:52:20.000Z
- Description: Heavenly Father, Once upon a time there was a man named God. Once upon a time there was a man.
- Author: Quentin Staley
- Tags: #fixed-lines, Poems

Once clean

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Heavenly Father,  
Once upon a time  
there was a man  
named God.

Once upon a time  
there was a man.

Once upon a time there was  
a boy named Quentin.

Once upon a time there was  
nobody who laid in bed.  
No. Lied in bed. No. Nobody  
laid noself down in bed where  
no lies, caressing noself’s nipple,  
comforting noself, lying with  
noself, lying to noself about noself’s  
beliefs of noself that noself  
is somebody, or maybe that noself  
is nobody. No’s not quite sure about  
noself, where no’s not to be.

Once upon a time is an easy beginning,  
some mantric melody, sweet as birdsong,  
windchime, riverrock, the rustling of leaves  
from wind, from rain, and the sound of  
asphalt on a hot summer day.

Once, once, once, once, once. Just  
this once upon a time a boy  
curls—  
to a boy’s left side  
—up  
in bed because his mother said this is the  
side one lies on when in abdominal distress,  
and she should know, being a woman an’ all.

Boy knew well the hardships of womanhood  
taught to boy by woman mother that boy  
found woman to be of lore, supernal,  
walking sacrifice to the gods that  
once upon a time boy dreamt of woman  
not erotically. Perhaps, perchance,  
reverently, as much deference as boys  
had earned in respect to give.  
Boy cashes out boy’s worth,  
homage to girl.

Once upon a time, this time,  
there be a woman whose image of  
which the boy cannot materialize  
but whose aura of which is rising  
yellow, green, blue.

Once upon a time  
there was, and was easy,  
the summer equinox at dawn,  
nothing was wrong for no  
search was there for right.  
Habits past shed from the  
lining of inner births  
to be. Free. Empty. Free.  
Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.  
Tone atone me not save  
not injury to me but me.

Once, once, once. Once.  
Once upon a time,  
man be. Be free.