'Once Upon a Time'
Beryl Clarke, Contributor

Here we are again as we continue our discussion of the poem Once Upon a Time by Gabriel Okara. Last time you were given the general ideas that are conveyed in the poem. This week we must begin to examine these ideas more closely.

Stanza one begins with a restatement of the title and the question of why comes to me. Is it that the speaker wants to convince us that things had really been good in the distant past? Is he also trying to convince himself that his memories of better days are real? Consider both views, please! I hope you notice that like other 'Once Upon a Time' tales, this one has a lesson for life or, as you probably say, a moral lesson. This same first line establishes the relationship between the speaker and the listener and so we find out that they are father and 'son'.

The second line introduces us to characters known as 'they' and again we are faced with the question of who 'they' are. From the succeeding three lines we learn that 'they' and the speaker had been friends but were no longer so. If you look back at last week's lesson you will see that it is said there that 'they' are no longer genuine in their inter-actions with the speaker.

'They' have become cold; have excluded the speaker from the formerly warm association and look past him at his shadow. In fact, 'they' are not just looking at his shadow, they are searching behind it. We have to take some time to reflect on their action and in order to do that we ought to remember that a shadow is an area of darkness formed behind an object because light cannot pass through the object. So, the scene being presented is one in which when the speaker meets 'they' and they focus on the darkness behind him rather than on making eye contact. This behaviour is enough to tell us of their lack of honesty and probably even of a fear 'they' have.

Emphasis is placed on the coldness exhibited, the rejection he faces from his former friends through the use of the hyphenated 'ice-block-cold' words. He does not compare the eyes to ice but say that they are cold blocks of ice. In stanza two, we hear that 'there was a time' when the greetings he received were warm and real. I want you to notice the use of 'indeed', for it is employed to reassure the father and persuade the son that such a time and such a positive relationship did exist at one time.

Next comes the 'but' of regret, signifying the change. We can almost see the speaker shake his head! There is more, for whereas in the previous stanza his shadow is searched, in this one it is his pocket that gets a search with their 'left hands'. Do you see what's happening? While they shake with the right hands, almost distracting him into believing that everything is fine, the left hands are attempting to plunder. I wonder whether this is to suggest that the earlier relationship had been based on what 'they' could get from the speaker, rather than on true friendship. At any rate, such action hardens the speaker's suspicion.

How deceiving are the early words of the third verse? 'Feel at home!' 'Come again'...If we had not read what went before in the other verses we would have been tricked as the speaker is, for he does go again and it appears that all is still fine. His reception, however, on the third visit is certainly not what is expected. He says, 'for then I find doors shut on me'. You will agree that regardless of how you interpret 'their' move, it does send a clear and final message. We do not know whether he found the houses empty when, having been invited, he arrives for visits or whether it was after he calls or knocks at the doors that they are shut. It could even be that he makes contact to inform them that he is going to take up their invitation to visit and is told not to come!

What we do know is that he cannot mistake their intention to cut their links.

Let us now itemize the lessons the narrator learns from his experience. He has learnt to:

1. 'Wear many faces'

2. 'Laugh with only my teeth'

3. 'Shake hands without my heart'

4. 'Say 'Goodbye' when he means 'Good- riddance'

5. 'Say Glad to meet you' without being glad

6. 'Say 'It's been nice talking to you', after being bored.

Like the narrator, we all face disappointing and sometimes shocking situations. Do not, however, let these things keep you down. This is an important year for you. Make the best use of all your opportunities and God bless!

Beryl Clarke is an independent contributor. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com