Once Upon a Time by Gabriel Okara: Overview
This poetry review looks at the message of the poem, “Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara, and how it is delivered.
“Once Upon a Time” is an African poem by Gabriel Okara, a Nigerian novelist and poet, author of an award-winning poetry collection – The Fisherman’s Invocation. The poem is recommended for WAEC 2026-2030 Literature in English.
Content of this analysis
- The poem
- Concept summary and analysis
- Title
- Structure
- Mood
- Language and tone
Poem – Once Upon A Time by Gabriel Okara
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.
Concept Summary and Analysis of Once Upon a Time by Gabriel Okara
“Once Upon a Time” is a poem by Gabriel Okara (born Gabriel Imomotimi Okara on 24 April 1921), a Nigerian poet and novelist. The poem describes the effects of societal pressures on human emotions and interactions. This is expressed in the detailed description of the loss of laughter, sincere expressions, and warmth in interpersonal relationships. People are said to “wear many faces”.
In this piece, the writer expresses his yearning to unlearn the artificial behavior and display a polite façade. He wishes to go back to when he expressed genuine emotions, had authentic expressions, and had his interactions graced with youthful innocence. The poem is presented as a conversation with his son.
The poem opens with a clear expression directed to the son; telling him the nature of the pressures he faced. The contrast between the past and the present is clearly marked by the opening expression, “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.”
(Stanza 1, lines 1-6)
As the poem progresses, in stanza 3, the author expresses the point where he was pushed too far.
“‘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.”
(Satnza 3, lines 13-18)
His breaking point came and he also learned to hide behind the façade and wear many faces, smiling even when sad and bored.
“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.”
(Stanza 5, line 25-32)
The writer of the poem asserts that human interactions and societal interactions are laden with superficiality and insincerity. Expressions like, “feel at home”, “come again”, and “closed doors”, laid one after the other point to the reality that what is said is often not what is meant (see stanza 3).
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Title: Once Upon a Time by Gabriel Okara
The title of the poem, “Once Upon a Time” introduces the poem as a tale, a story of things that have been. It quickly prepares the reader to listen, the mind begins to play out who the actors in the story might be. As the poem progresses, the feel of the story broadens and deeply emphasizes the story as a personal experience, albeit written in poetic form. The essence is clear and resonates until the end.
Structure of Once Upon a Time by Gabriel Okara
“Once Upon a Time” is a satirical poem. It consists of 8 stanzas and 43 lines. The poem is a lyric and the style is free verse. Its focus is the writer’s feelings about the loss of authenticity which marks most adult interactions. The stanzas do not contain any particular rhyme scheme. Rather, it is composed of the iambic meter.
The mood of Once Upon a Time by Gabriel Okara
“Once Upon a Time” by Gabriel Okara explores the loss of genuine emotions, sincerity of expressions, and warmth in human interactions with the emotions and changes that come with the loss of innocence. The moods captured in the poem include sadness, honesty, self-appraisal, hopelessness versus hopefulness, and the scent of distant memories. These filter through the reflective moment presented in this piece.
Generally, the feeling is sadness and a longing for beautiful things lost along the path of life. It summarises some of the things life takes from us in vivid expressions and shows the yearning that is left behind for the things taken after they have been lost.
Language and Tone of Once Upon a Time by Gabriel Okara
The language of the poem is conversational – a father talking to a son about his life experiences and the lessons learned. The tone is warm, and deeply personal, probably designed to ensure the son understands that this story is not to scare him but to let him know that life changes you and even at his age as the father, he longs for things he, the son, still has which he, the father, has lost along the path of life.
“Once Upon a Time” shows that childhood and youth are beautiful and filled with genuine emotions and sincere interactions. The longing and regrets portrayed encourage the young not to grow up too fast and to guard their heart. It lovingly points to what will be and prepares the son to anticipate the change.
There is also resignation, sadness, and sorrow in the tone. As the speaker grapples with the reality that he has lost genuineness and learned the superficial ways of life, he expresses his journey into these sad societal expectations and his desire to unlearn them.