“Once Upon a Time” is an emotional poem about the story of a grown up man—who once was an innocent child.
His adult world has lost the charm of his childhood years. The poet describes how the process of growing up transforms the innocence of childhood. After entering the adult world, the young adults will gradually forget how to “laugh with their hearts.”
While growing up, the cold world intimidated our main character. He used to sense people’s insincerity and their superficial laughs, because “they only laugh[ed] with theirteeth,/while their ice-block-cold eyes/search[ed] behind [his] shadow”
It is a vicious circle: once someone has entered the adult world, he will change—then change others. Our character will learn how to say things that he doesn’t really mean: “I have also learned to say, “Goodbye,”/when I mean “Goodriddance”;/to say “Glad to meet
you,”/without being glad; and to say “It’s been/nice talking to you,” after being bored”
2
Like everyone else, our main character was forced to grow up—in order to adapt to the adult world: “I have learned to wear many faces/like dresses—home face,/office face,street face, host face, cock-/tail face, with all their conforming smiles/like a fixed portrait
smile”
In this selfish world, our character learned how to adapt; he adapted a little too well. He now can play the adult role without any problem.However, once he became a parent, parenthood seems to have helped him to remember the innocent world of his childhood. Because of his son, he wants to re-learn how to be sincere. His son holds the key to this old, forgotten world.
What a wonderful poem! It presents in such a simple manner, such a complicated subject:the pain of growing up, and the loss of innocence
His adult world has lost the charm of his childhood years. The poet describes how the process of growing up transforms the innocence of childhood. After entering the adult world, the young adults will gradually forget how to “laugh with their hearts.”
While growing up, the cold world intimidated our main character. He used to sense people’s insincerity and their superficial laughs, because “they only laugh[ed] with theirteeth,/while their ice-block-cold eyes/search[ed] behind [his] shadow”
It is a vicious circle: once someone has entered the adult world, he will change—then change others. Our character will learn how to say things that he doesn’t really mean: “I have also learned to say, “Goodbye,”/when I mean “Goodriddance”;/to say “Glad to meet
you,”/without being glad; and to say “It’s been/nice talking to you,” after being bored”
2
Like everyone else, our main character was forced to grow up—in order to adapt to the adult world: “I have learned to wear many faces/like dresses—home face,/office face,street face, host face, cock-/tail face, with all their conforming smiles/like a fixed portrait
smile”
In this selfish world, our character learned how to adapt; he adapted a little too well. He now can play the adult role without any problem.However, once he became a parent, parenthood seems to have helped him to remember the innocent world of his childhood. Because of his son, he wants to re-learn how to be sincere. His son holds the key to this old, forgotten world.
What a wonderful poem! It presents in such a simple manner, such a complicated subject:the pain of growing up, and the loss of innocence
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