Child Abuse Series

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22 June 2008

'Dream Deferred' - Langston Hughes


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 (b.1902 - d. 1967)
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8 comments:

  1. LISA VAZQUEZ25 June, 2008 18:08

    Hey there Zee!

    Thank you so very much for this wonderful poem! It is one of my favorite poems of Langston Hughes!!

    (smiles)
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  2. B26 June, 2008 15:30

    I still remember the first time I read this poem in junior high school. It's still so meaningful to me today.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Zee Harrison26 June, 2008 20:13

    Lisa and Brigitte,

    Isn't it funny how a simple poem with few words can have such a powerful impact?

    True genius. A few more of his great poems have been shared with me and will featured right here on this blog.

    Thanks for dropping by!
    Kind regards,
    Zee

    ReplyDelete
  4. Grégoire29 June, 2008 11:41

    This was my favorite poem in high school.

    It's so powerfully vivid, and speaks to such a huge cross section of American life. It's as relevant today as the day it was written, and as relevant to Whites in Appalachia as it is to Blacks in Harlem.

    Thanks for posting it...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cassy02 July, 2008 05:44

    Langston Hughes is my most favorite poet - I use "Mother to Son" and "I, Too" with my 4th grade students. They grow to love his work just as much as I do.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Zee Harrison04 July, 2008 07:28

    Grégoire and Cassy,

    Thanks for your comments.
    Watch out for a couple more great poems from Langston Hughes.
    Zee

    ReplyDelete
  7. Laura04 July, 2008 14:48

    Hi Zee -

    Thank you so much for dropping your card on me. I got to meet a new blogger this way - and I look forward to reading yours regularly. Yes, this is a wonderful poem - pithy yet poignant. I wasn't as familiar with it as I should have been, I admit, but vaguely recall that the "raisin in the sun" phrase was Hughes'.

    Thanks again - I look forward to reading and commenting more.

    ~Laura
    http://zentalfloss.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. North Stamford Oven Repair12 August, 2022 04:47

    Good postt

    ReplyDelete

Thank you.