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A Dream Deferred

By grrlscientist on April 4, 2008.

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April is National Poetry Month, and I plan to post one poem per day, every day, this month (If you have a favorite poem that you'd like me to share, feel free to email it to me). Today's poem was suggested by a reader who wrote; "My favorite poem has always been 'A Dream Deferred' by Langston Hughes, even before I was old enough to know the context behind it." I agree with my reader, I also loved this poem as a child, and still do.

A 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, The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes (Vintage; 1995).

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Oh, awesome. I was just chiming in, I didn't think you'd actually post it! Good to see I'm not the only one.

When I first encountered the poem in grade school it had some slightly different formatting than I've seen anywhere else. The very last line was in italics, and I loved how ominous it seemed.

amanda, i've published lots of mary oliver's poems a couple years ago -- i love her work -- but i am not sure she'd appreciate it, according to a poet "in the know". unfortunately, i've also had trouble finding her contact info so i can ask her if i can use her poem(s).