Once upon a time,
When I was very young,
In my twenties or thirties,
Everyone laughed heartily,
And happiness flowed from our eyes.

Now, I am a septuagenarian*,
I see how the youth today have changed,
They only laugh with their teeth,
while their eyes are as cold as ice.

I remember the time,
When we shook our hands with our hearts,
But now the youth's hearts have just gone,
They shake hands with their right hand
And slyly put their left hand in others' pockets.

When we had visitors,
We would make them feel at home,
And ask them to visit again.
Now, the youth may oblige you to visit once or twice,
But will not open the door again.

At this age, I have learned many things from the youth today,
I have learned to wear many faces like home face, street face, cocktail face, party face,
And like them have a fixed portrait smile on my face.

Now, I have learned to laugh only with my teeth
And shake hands without my heart,
I have learned to say,'Goodbye,' when I actually mean 'good riddance,'
I have learned to say,'Glad to meet you,' without feeling glad at all,
I have learned to say, 'it's so wonderful to talk to you,' after feeling bored.

Even though I have camouflaged myself like today's youth,
I miss being what I was when young.
I want to unlearn all these painful things,
I want to relearn to laugh again with my heart,
Otherwise, I know, like the youth,
I will continue to live happily never after.

© Sunita Pathania

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Idioms Used:

1. To laugh with their teeth- It means that people now laugh for the sake of laughing and not out of real happiness.

2. To shake hands with heart: It means when you meet someone, you greet them wholeheartedly. This conveys the genuine warmth and friendliness when they meet as if they are shaking hands with their hearts. It also suggests sincerity and care for the person they are greeting.

3. To make someone feel at home: It means to make someone feel relaxed and comfortable. Just as one feels at their home.

4. As cold as ice: It means to be extremely cold. There's no feeling and warmth just as in the blocks of ice.

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#sunitapathania #onceuponatime
#writcopoem #inspirational