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.

“Once Upon a Time” — Gabriel Okara

There used to be a time when the shadows
weren’t lurking close behind her like glue
sticking two lined pieces of paper together
during arts and crafts time
in kindergarten.  The skies
used to be dark blue,
and in the early morning hours,
they sparkled with this vibrant yellow colour
that got hushed into silence.  But then,
once upon a time, son,

the rain that now drowns out the city
used to bring the glittering rainbow
that didn’t have an end.  The grey sun
used to be bright yellow
with sparkling stardust, and the moon
used to be bright grey and glowing
the same stardust the sun used to radiate.
School-aged children used to run around the complex
with a glimmer in their eyes as the sun
kissed their faces.  They used to laugh with their hearts

on their sleeve.  Their laughs used to echo in the sky;
if the weather was just right, the wind would whisk away
those laughs.  The buildings around them were vibrant
yellow, purple, pink, and teal.  The playground
down the street would pull the children to it.  They
used to run and jump and joyfully sing along
like they were lost in the world they created in their mind
with children they had just met, but they insist they’re already best friends
as they continue to run around the playground
and laugh with their eyes:

But that was before.  Before
the light grey clouds semi-permanently stay floating
through the night-filled air as smoke from the buildings
at the bridge of town muddles the once-perfect skies.
The birds that once stayed on top of the dark green trees
have migrated to the south, where
the sun feeds them sweet candy.  And now,
no children litter the complex’s sidewalk or
run around the playground as their joyful screams echo
throughout the sky.  They are now hidden with adults behind
the walls of their homes where they once laughed with their eyes.
But now they only laugh with their teeth

while the sky turns black and the crickets are out to play.  And
there’s a storm on the horizon, creeping
in the shadows of the dark grey clouds
looming around the city since midday.
The buildings are now muted grey as the trees
in the complex melt away their vibrant
greens and browns, and they stick
to the now pitch-black concrete.  The air
is no longer transparent, and
while their ice-block-cold eyes

stare off in the distance of the night’s air, the
children’s laughs that were once there are now distant memories
like photographs getting whisked away into the grey wind.  There
used to be a time when the sun was still yellow,
and the sky was still light blue.  Laughter
used to be heard from down the street.  People
used to dance in the hallways and streets
of the earth, and trash used to never
litter the streets of the city.  The streets were like glass,
and now, the people search behind my shadow.