"Once on a Time," was a magical phrase Thrilling with promise of marvelous stories, Tales of the pixies and nixies and fays, Princes and fairyland kings in their glories; I was a boy and these chronicles, all of them, Bore me away to a mythical clime Ruled by strange wizards, and I was in thrall of them Once on a Time. Once on a Time I was slender and young, Love was enchantment and life was a dance, Youth was but coin to be squandered and flung, Days were all sunshine and nights were Romance; Now when I think of those days and the fun of them, When I see youngsters still flush in their prime, I can but sigh, "Well, at least I was one of them Once on a Time!" Once on a Time I had wonderful dreams Made up of rainbows that glowed in the distance, Once I sought Life, but to-day, so it seems, All I have won to is merely Existence. This is the fruit of the blithe and the merry tales, —Middle-aged plodding through workaday grime— Still, thank the Lord, I believed in the fairy-tales Once on a Time! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE PASSOVER IN THE HOLY FAMILY (FOR A DRAWING) by DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI ARIEL'S SONG (1) [OR, DIRGE] [OR, A SEA DIRGE]. FR. THE TEMPEST by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AN IRISH AIRMAN FORESEES HIS DEATH by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS SWORD AND BUCKLER; OR, SERVING-MAN'S DEFENCE: INTRODUCTION by WILLIAM BASSE I'D BE A BUTTERFLY by THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY PSALM 15 by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE |