ONCE UPON A TIME BY GABRIEL OKARA

THE POEM

Once upon a time, son,

they used to laugh with their hearts
and laugh with their eyes:
but now they only laugh with their teeth,
while their ice-block-cold eyes
search behind my shadow.

There was a time indeed

they used to shake hands with their hearts:
but that’s gone, son.
Now they shake hands without hearts
while their left hands search
my empty pockets.

‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’:

they say, and when I come
again and feel
at home, once, twice,
there will be no thrice-
for then I find doors shut on me.

So I have learned many things, son.

I have learned to wear many faces
like dresses – homeface,
officeface, streetface, hostface,
cocktailface, with all their conforming smiles
like a fixed portrait smile.

And I have learned too

to laugh with only my teeth
and shake hands without my heart.
I have also learned to say,’Goodbye’,
when I mean ‘Good-riddance’:
to say ‘Glad to meet you’,
without being glad; and to say ‘It’s been
nice talking to you’, after being bored.

But believe me, son.

I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!

So show me, son,

how to laugh; show me how
I used to laugh and smile
once upon a time when I was like you.

ABOUT THE POET

Gabriel Imomotimi Okara was a renowned Nigerian poet and novelist. He was born on April 24, 1921, in
Bumoundi, Nigeria.
One of Okara’s most famous works is his award-winning poetry collection titled The Fisherman’s Invocation.
In this collection, Okara reflects on various themes, such as the clash between traditional African culture and
Western influences, the complexities of human existence, and the search for identity.
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He has written such poems as “Once Upon a Time,” where he portrays the loss of authenticity and sincerity in
human interactions in a changing society. Another is “Piano and Drums,” where he examines the cultural
conflict between African tradition in its simplicity and European values in their complex modern ways. In
between these is the confused modern African man, who is at an impasse as to where he stands.
Apart from poetry, Okara was also known for his novel, The Voice. Gabriel Okara passed away on March 25,
2019. He left behind an impressive oeuvre of literary works.

ABOUT THE POEM

“Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Imomotimi Okara is a poem that explores the loss of genuine emotions like
laughter, warmth in human interactions, and sincerity of expressions due to societal pressures. In the poem, the
poetic persona reminisces about a time when people laughed and connected sincerely. He pits this time past
against now, when there is a facade of polite pleasure without genuine emotions. He yearns to unlearn these
artificial behaviours and relearn the authentic, heartfelt expressions that come with youthful innocence.

Summary

‘Once Upon a Time’ by Gabriel Okara presents a conversation between a father and son. The father describes

how the art of greeting one another has transformed into a mere give-and-take of fake smiles.

This poem begins with a series of three images: greeting someone, welcoming them to their house, and saying

goodbye. The speaker of this poem tells his son how people react in those given situations. Firstly, they greet

their relatives or known ones with fake smiles. Verbally they welcome their close ones, but mentally they keep

their doors closed on them. Lastly, at the time of parting, they wear a fake smile again and bid each other hiding

their selfish emotions. Thinking about such things, the speaker becomes so sad that he somehow wants to

unlearn such void customs. He wants to be a child again like his son and relearn the art of innocence and pure

happiness.

STRUCTURE
This poem consists of 43 lines that are separated into seven stanzas. Each stanza does not contain a specific line
count. The lines are segregated according to the subject matter. This poem is written from the point of view of
a first-person speaker. So, it’s a lyric. As the text does not contain a specific rhyming scheme, it is a free-
verse poem. In some instances, readers can find rhyming but they don’t occur in a regular fashion. Apart from
that, the poem is mostly composed of the iambic meter with some metrical variations.

Detailed Analysis
Stanza One

Once upon a time, son,

they used to laugh with their hearts

and laugh with their eyes:

but now they only laugh with their teeth,

while their ice-block-cold eyes

search behind my shadow.

Gabriel Okara’s poem ‘Once Upon a Time’ begins in a tale-like fashion. The title is the very first line of this

piece. From this line, it becomes clear that the speaker is the father or grandfather of the child referred to as

“son”. He is the speaker of this piece and describes the lack of compassion in modern times. He begins his story

by talking about how they used to laugh wholeheartedly. Here, “they” represent the native Africans.

They not only laughed with their faces but also with their eyes. The eyes are the canvas of a person’s mind. So,

what appears in the mind, gets portrayed in his or her eyes. Okara refers to this fact as creating a contrast.

According to him, now people “only laugh with their teeth.” Readers can sense the irony of this fragment.

Their eyes are like ice blocks. It is a metaphorical reference to their coldness. The warmth of conjugal love and

compassion is missing in their eyes. When they meet a person, they search whether he is alone or someone else

is behind him. Okara says they search behind his shadow to make sure he is alone or not. Otherwise, they have

to bear the pain of another guest!

Stanza Two

There was a time indeed

(…)

my empty pockets.

In the second stanza, the speaker creates another contrast by portraying the custom of shaking hands. There was

a time, indeed, when “they used to shake hands with their hearts.” It means there was a warmth of happiness in

their hearts. Their hands were not cold metaphorically. They responded warmly to the person standing in front

of them.

The speaker sadly says, “but that’s gone, son.” There is a sense of grief and despair in his tone. Nowadays,

people shake hands as a customary gesture only. The basic essence of happiness is absent in both their eyes and

hands. Satirically, the speaker remarks on how people search his empty pockets with their left hands.

This peculiar gesture points to another interesting idea. It is materialism and selfishness. Now, people only think

about what the other person has for them. If they don’t have what they need they feel like ignoring the person

even if they were in touch in the past.

Stanza Three

‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’:

(…)

for then I find doors shut on me.

The third stanza describes another humorous incident that occurred with the speaker. He says, when he visits his

relatives they welcome him by saying “Feel at home!”. While parting, they bid him come again. But, his

frequent visits made them so annoyed that the third time, he found their doors closed on him. It was not the case

in his childhood days. Then people used to become happier than if a person visited their house. It was a time of

conjugal happiness. One’s happiness mattered to the other and vice versa.

Stanza Four

So I have learned many things, son.

(…)

like a fixed portrait smile.

After describing such peculiarities of the modern age, the speaker tells his child that he has learned many things.

The most important thing is that he has learned to imitate others. He now wears many faces like dresses. The

following lines present a series of facial expressions. According to the poet, nowadays a person puts different

expressions on his face. The facial expression at home does not resemble the expression in public places such as

the office, street, and bar. Such uniformity of smiles with respect to different situations somehow troubles the

poet. That’s why he compares their smile to a “fixed portrait smile.” Like a portrait has no sign of life in it, their

smile does not have any sign of liveliness or compassion.

Stanza Five

And I have learned too

(…)

nice talking to you’, after being bored.

The ideas of the first stanza “smiling with teeth” and “shaking hands with heart” reappear in this stanza. But,

the context is different. Previously, the speaker criticized such attitudes. Now he has shaped himself in society’s

order. He smiles by showcasing his teeth and shakes hands just for the sake of it.

He has also learned to hide his real emotions in the guise of saying something else. This theme of expression vs

reality is portrayed in these lines “I have also learned to say, ‘Goodbye’,/ when I mean ‘Good-riddance’.”

Readers have already felt the ironic smite. These lines contain an antithesis.

He presents another contrasting idea in the following lines. Ironically, he has learned the art of saying “Glad to

meet you” even if he is not glad to meet the person. If he is bored with a person, he fakes his real emotion by

saying, “It’s been nice talking to you.” Such things are not uncommon in the modern age. People are so artful in

creating facial facades that they can deceive a person easily.

Stanza Six

But believe me, son.

I want to be what I used to be

(…)

how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror

shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!

However, the speaker is not quite relieved even if he has learned the art of faking real emotions. He expresses

his desire to go back to the past when everything was simple. In his childhood, innocence reigned in people’s

hearts. They never knew the art of deceiving someone by hiding real emotions. Then they did not have any

hidden intention to fulfill. That’s why they didn’t need to hide something.

He wants to unlearn these “muting things”. It is a nice metaphor for describing the expressions that kill the spirit

of compassion and sympathy for one another. In contrast, he wants to learn again the art of smiling

wholeheartedly which he has forgotten in the course of time. When he looks in the mirror, he finds only his

teeth like a snake’s fangs. It is a roundabout hint to the mindset of selfish, modern people. The “snake’s bare

fangs” is a symbol of mischief and selfishness.

Stanza Seven

So show me, son,

(…)

once upon a time when I was like you.

The last stanza is short as here the speaker tries to present an important idea. He finds the source of innocence
and simplicity in his son. If he imitates his child, he can unlearn the peculiarities that intruded on his heart. He
tells his son to show him how to smile. The child can remind him how he smiled in his own childhood days. So,
there is a sense of “going back to the past” in his tone. His heart longs for the old days when everything was
simple, true, and heartwarming.

LITERARY DEVICES

Okara’s poem ‘Once Upon a Time’ contains the following literary devices that are not limited to the devices

mentioned below:

 Enjambment: It occurs throughout the text; For example: “they used to laugh with their hearts/ and

laugh with their eyes”

 Repetition: In the first stanza, the word “laugh” is repeated for the sake of emphasis. A similar scheme

also goes for the following stanza. The words “shake hands” are repeated there.
  Metaphor: Okara uses several metaphors in this poem such as “ice-block-cold eyes,” “homeface,”

“officeface,” etc.

 Simile: “with all their conforming smiles/ like a fixed portrait,” and “shows only my teeth like a

snake’s bare fangs?”

 Imagery: This poem contains several images that include shaking hands, smiling, and facial

expressions in different situations.

 Alliteration: “So show me, son,” “But believe me”

THEMES
Okara incorporates the themes of cultural crisis, selfishness, loss of innocence, and real emotion vs fake
expression in his poem ‘Once Upon a Time’. The main theme of this poem is the cultural crisis. Though readers
cannot find this theme directly in the text, it is an integral part of the poem. For example, when the
poetic persona speaks of the contemporary fashion of greetings, he actually speaks about the crisis in his
indigenous culture. The sense of loss is reflected in his tone. Besides, the loss of innocence is another theme of
this poem. This theme is integrated into the lines “I want/ to unlearn all these muting things…” How people
express their fakeness by hiding their real emotions also gets portrayed throughout the text.

Theme of Insincerity
The theme of insincerity is perhaps the overarching theme in Gabriel Okara’s “Once Upon a Time.” It is a
topical issue in the poem. We see insincerity in everything in the poem: in people’s laughter, their handshakes,
and hollow phrases. There are ulterior motives beneath their superficial greetings and forced camaraderie.
In the past, people shook hands with their hearts to symbolise genuine goodwill and trust. However, the speaker
observes that this sincerity has vanished. Handshakes have become perfunctory gestures, devoid of heartfelt
warmth, while the left hand stealthily searches for material gain.
Similarly, expressions of hospitality and welcome, such as “Feel at home!” and “Come again,” have become
hollow phrases devoid of genuine invitation. Their invitations and greetings feel performative.
To cap it all, people put on facades to mask their true emotions and personalities: “homeface, officeface,
streetface,” etc. Insincerity is further emphasised through the speaker’s description of wearing different “faces,”
like dresses, to fit into various social contexts.
Thus, the poem aptly depicts how insincerity has crept into every interaction in the world of adults.

Theme of Lost Innocence

The theme of lost innocence is one of the themes in Gabriel Okara’s “Once Upon a Time.” The whole idea
behind the nostalgia of the speaker is, understandably, to portray the innocence and authenticity of the past,
which have been supplanted by the insincerity and societal conformity of the present.
The poem establishes a clear contrast between the “once upon a time” of childhood and the present adult world.
Laughter in childhood involved the whole being, “hearts and eyes,” signifying genuine joy and unfiltered
expression. In contrast, adult laughter is reduced to a mere “teeth-baring,” lacking warmth and depth. This shift
symbolises the loss of spontaneity and emotional vulnerability that often accompanies adulthood.
The loss of innocence has demonstrably affected the speaker, who now feels compelled to wear various “faces”
to navigate the world. This constant performance further distances him from his true self and amplifies his
yearning for simpler, more authentic interactions.
It is little surprising that the speaker sees in his child the very innocence he has lost himself with the advent of
adulthood. The reason for this perception is not far-fetched. The child is very young and has not been inducted
into the deceitful and hypocritical ways of the adult world.
Therefore, beyond bemoaning the insincerity of adults and the contemporary world, the poem mourns the loss of
innocence in human interactions.
Theme of Nostalgia
Another significant theme in “Once Upon a Time” is the theme of nostalgia. For instance, the recurring use of
“once upon a time” and its equivalents establishes a nostalgic lens through which the poem critiques the present.
It evokes a romanticised past where laughter was genuine, handshakes held trust, and connections felt deeper.
The speaker clings to memories of the past as a source of comfort and hope. He recalls the simplicity and
authenticity of childhood. His reminiscence fuels his desire to reclaim those qualities in the present.

Theme of Societal Conformity

The theme of societal conformity is one of the important themes in Gabriel Okara’s “Once Upon a Time.” The
poem is a portrayal of the extent to which societal pressure can override individual choices.
For one, the “faces” the speaker adopts represent the various masks he wears to meet societal expectations in
different contexts. They illustrate the pressure to conform to external norms and suppress individuality. This
leads to emotional detachment as individuals struggle to maintain the facades they have constructed.
The speaker’s statement expresses a desire to break free from the constraints of societal conformity and reclaim
his individuality: “I want to unlearn all these muting things.” He recognises that the act of wearing these masks
has muted his true emotions and personality.
His plea to his son, “I want to be what I used to be,” signifies the importance of preserving one’s authentic self
even in the face of societal pressures. He wants to return to who he was before his individuality was overridden
by societal conformity.

Theme of Yearning for Authenticity

The theme of yearning for authenticity is another noteworthy theme in Okara’s “Once Upon a Time.” One thing
we can all agree about about the speaker in the poem is that he is disillusioned with the present state of the
[Link] speaker expresses a deep desire to return to a time when laughter was genuine, handshakes were
sincere, and interactions were heartfelt.
The poem thus culminates in a desperate plea to his son, the embodiment of the lost innocence the speaker
desperately wants to reclaim. “Show me, son,” he implores, “how to laugh; show me how/I used to laugh and
smile/once upon a time when I was like you.”

Tone of “Once Upon a Time”

The tone of the poem is introspective and contemplative. The speaker engages in deep reflection on the nature of
human relationships and the societal changes that have led to the erosion of authenticity and emotional
connection.
There is an underlying tone of sorrow and resignation in the poem. The speaker grapples with the realization
that genuine human interaction has been replaced by superficiality and insincerity. However, there is also a
glimmer of hope as the speaker expresses a desire to reclaim the authenticity and emotional warmth of the past.

Mood of “Once Upon a Time”

The mood of the poem is reflective and sombre. The speaker reflects on a time in the past when human
interactions were genuine and heartfelt, contrasting it with the present reality of superficiality and emotional
detachment. There is a sense of longing for the innocence and authenticity of the past, which stands in stark
contrast to the disillusionment and alienation experienced in the present.

“Once Upon a Time” in Four Sentences

The positions of the poetic persona in Gabriel Okara’s “Once Upon a Time” can be summed up into four
sentences:
1. The poetic persona compares the genuine laughter and heartfelt interactions of his childhood with
the cold, fake smiles and insincerity of adulthood.
2. He criticises the superficiality and hidden agendas present in social interactions, where people say
one thing but mean another.
3. He feels jaded and disconnected from others due to these experiences, and
4. He longs to reclaim his true self and rediscover the ability to connect with others in a genuine way.

FAQs
Why does Gabriel Okara want to relive the past?The poet of ‘Once Upon a Time’ Gabriel Okara wants to
relive the past as then people were true to each other and greeted wholeheartedly without having any hidden
intentions.

What is the meaning of “laugh with their hearts and with their teeth”?The phrase “laugh with their hearts”
means expressing the happiness in one’s heart truly by laughing. Whereas “laugh with their teeth” means
suppressing the real emotions behind restrained grinning.

What is irony in ‘Once Upon a Time’?The irony of this piece is that the speaker who once despised how
modern people reacted while meeting others, starts to imitate their style for social acceptance. The turning point
comes when he realizes that by imitating hehas become cold at heart and his inner child has died.

What kind of person is the speaker in ‘Once Upon a Time’?

The speaker of this piece is a gullible person who goes through a mental crisis at the beginning of the
poem ‘Once Upon a Time’. Besides, he is sympathetic to others as he was brought up during a time when people
were happy with their innocent and simple lives.

What does the phrase “ice-block-cold eyes” mean?

The phrase “ice-block-cold eyes” is a metaphor for suppressed emotions. It is also a reference to the coldness in
one’s heart.