My Favorite Poem
The Difference between Then and Now
Once Upon a Time
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.
Gabriel Okara
This poem by Gabriel Okara describes the differences between the people living now and the ones who lived before us. People once smiled with their eyes rather than just their lips. Everyone's laugh was original just like a carefree child unlike adults who only laugh with their teeth's and not with their hearts.
I wish just like Gabriel Okara to go back to that time where my smile was real and when I laughed it was from my heart rather than just my teethes.
About the Creator
Umar Javed
Fiction, Sports, Technology, Motivation or Success Story and along with some poetry its a mix of everything.
Tips Greatly Appreciated
Thank You for Reading....
Comments (2)
love this❤️❤️
So relatable and funny !!! 💚 Love this. It’s so true.