Once Upon a Time by Gabriel OkaraOnce upon a time, son,they used to laugh with their heartsand laugh with their eyes:but now they only laugh with their teeth,while their ice-block-cold eyessearch behind my shadow.There was a time indeedthey used to shake hands with their hearts:but that’s gone, son.Now they shake hands without heartswhile their left hands searchmy empty pockets.‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’:they say, and when I comeagain and feelat 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 faceslike dresses – homeface,officeface, streetface, hostface,cocktailface, with all their conforming smileslike a fixed portrait smile.And I have learned tooto laugh with only my teethand 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 beennice talking to you’, after being bored.But believe me, son.I want to be what I used to bewhen I was like you. I wantto unlearn all these muting things.Most of all, I want to relearnhow to laugh, for my laugh in the mirrorshows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!So show me, son,how to laugh; show me howI used to laugh and smileonce upon a time when I was like you.BIOGRAPHY-Gabriel Imomtimi Gbaingbain Okara, the son of an HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ijaw_people" \o "" Ijọ chief, was born in Bomoundi in the Niger delta in 1921. He was educated at Government College, HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umuahia" \o "" Umuahia, and later at HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaba,_Lagos" \o "" Yaba Higher College. He studied journalism at HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_University" \o "" Northwestern University in 1949, and before the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War worked as Information Officer for the Eastern Nigerian Government Service.Writing his most famous poem is "Piano and Drums".
