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gabriel okara - once upon a time lyrics

once upon a time, son
they used to laugh with their hearts
and laugh with their eyes:
but now they only laugh with their t–th
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 learnt many things, son

i have learned to wear many faces
like dresses – homeface
officeface, streetface, hostface
c-cktailface, with all their conforming smiles
like a fixed portrait smile
and i have learned too
to laugh with only my t–th
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 t–th 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 lyrics

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