Dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?

maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

or does it explode?

— Langston Hughes

One Comment on “Dream Deferred”

  1. Catherine M.

    I think… I think dreams that are too long deferred die, a long, slow wasting death, like cancer — eaten out from the inside — or starvation. They get emaciated, move slower and slower, and start to stink. And then they die.

    Michelle, I love the poems you choose! You’ve sent several by poets I used to absolutely love (like Li-Young Lee) and had forgotten about. You’re reawakening me to my old poetry-loving self. Thank you.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

%d bloggers like this: