Once upon a time by Gabriel Okara Summary
Once upon a time
again and feel
at home, once, twice,
there will be no thrice-
for then I find doors shut on me.
- Gabriel Okara
Once upon a time is a poem written by Gabriel Okara. He is a Nigerian poet and novelist. In this poem the poet compares the mentality of the Africans before and after colonialism.
In this poem a father expresses his nostalgic feeling for the past to his son. He desires to live in the past because their was love, care, hospitality and compassion. But in the present world people lack those things.
Once upon a time, son
they used to laugh with their hearts
..............................
but now they only laugh with their teeth
At modern times people greet eachother without warmth. They shake hands while their
" ice - block cold eyes" search behind his financial status. The poet describes their eyes using a metaphor "ice - block cold eyes" inorder to show how modern people fail to understand and respect human heart brimmed with love and care.
Auliq claims " A soul of hospitality and heart of humanity is a house of love, peace, freedom, liberty and justice". In the second stanza the poet speaks about the lack of hospitality persisting among modern people.
Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’:
they say, and when I comeagain and feel
at home, once, twice,
there will be no thrice-
for then I find doors shut on me.
The poet has learned to live in this modern world with different faces like home face, office face, street face, host face and cocktail face. He has adapted to the heartless shake and toothy smile. He has learnt to say ‘Glad to meet you’ while his heart is not glad to meet. He shows his teeth like snake’s bare fangs.
In the concluding stanza the poet expresses his desire to be like his son. He wants to be a child again and regain his lost purity, love and innocence.Thus Gabriel Okara in this poem depicts the evils of modernity and materialism in African society.
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