A Dream Deferred https://scienceblogs.com/ en A Dream Deferred https://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/04/04/a-dream-deferred <span>A Dream Deferred</span> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p><span style="font-size: 10px">tags: <a target="window" href="http://technorati.com/tag/A+Dream+Deferred" rel="tag">A Dream Deferred</a>, <a target="window" href="http://technorati.com/tag/Langston+Hughes" rel="tag">Langston Hughes</a>, <a target="window" href="http://technorati.com/tag/poetry" rel="tag">poetry</a>, <a target="window" href="http://technorati.com/tag/national+poetry+month" rel="tag">National Poetry Month</a></span> </p><p>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. </p> <!--more--><div style="text-align: center;"> <p><span style="font-size: 14px"><b>A Dream Deferred</b></span></p> <p>What happens to a dream deferred?</p> <p>Does it dry up<br /> like a raisin in the sun?<br /> Or fester like a sore--<br /> And then run?<br /> Does it stink like rotten meat?<br /> Or crust and sugar over--<br /> like a syrupy sweet?</p> <p>Maybe it just sags<br /> like a heavy load.</p> <p>Or does it explode?</p> <p>-- Langston Hughes, <i><a target="window" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679764089/livingthescie-20/">The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes</a></i> (Vintage; 1995). </p></div> </div> <span><a title="View user profile." href="/author/grrlscientist" lang="" about="/author/grrlscientist" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">grrlscientist</a></span> <span>Fri, 04/04/2008 - 03:59</span> <div class="field field--name-field-blog-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline"> <div class="field--label">Tags</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/tag/uncategorized" hreflang="en">Uncategorized</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/tag/dream-deferred" hreflang="en">A Dream Deferred</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/tag/langston-hughes" hreflang="en">Langston Hughes</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/tag/national-poetry-month" hreflang="en">national poetry month</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/tag/poetry" hreflang="en">Poetry</a></div> </div> </div> <section> <article data-comment-user-id="0" id="comment-2059921" class="js-comment comment-wrapper clearfix"> <mark class="hidden" data-comment-timestamp="1207299520"></mark> <div class="well"> <strong></strong> <div class="field field--name-comment-body field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><p>I recommend Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese" or any other poem by her. She's brilliant!</p> </div> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderLinks" arguments="0=2059921&amp;1=default&amp;2=en&amp;3=" token="vDCKROqCKdbAFxf5saMu56-OYzuFBoWEgDzJ3lwuXM4"></drupal-render-placeholder> </div> <footer> <em>By <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.selfdesignedstudent.com" lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Amanda (not verified)</a> on 04 Apr 2008 <a href="https://scienceblogs.com/taxonomy/term/21256/feed#comment-2059921">#permalink</a></em> <article typeof="schema:Person" about="/user/0"> <div class="field field--name-user-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field--item"> <a href="/user/0" hreflang="und"><img src="/files/styles/thumbnail/public/default_images/icon-user.png?itok=yQw_eG_q" width="100" height="100" alt="User Image" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /> </a> </div> </article> </footer> </article> <article data-comment-user-id="0" id="comment-2059922" class="js-comment comment-wrapper clearfix"> <mark class="hidden" data-comment-timestamp="1207312418"></mark> <div class="well"> <strong></strong> <div class="field field--name-comment-body field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> </div> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderLinks" arguments="0=2059922&amp;1=default&amp;2=en&amp;3=" token="A4Wj-56KDqSeLUlqcnRGRk5O5LDQDCj7E5l255M813A"></drupal-render-placeholder> </div> <footer> <em>By <a rel="nofollow" href="http://pantherastudentessa.blogspot.com/" lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">El (not verified)</a> on 04 Apr 2008 <a href="https://scienceblogs.com/taxonomy/term/21256/feed#comment-2059922">#permalink</a></em> <article typeof="schema:Person" about="/user/0"> <div class="field field--name-user-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field--item"> <a href="/user/0" hreflang="und"><img src="/files/styles/thumbnail/public/default_images/icon-user.png?itok=yQw_eG_q" width="100" height="100" alt="User Image" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /> </a> </div> </article> </footer> </article> <article data-comment-user-id="134" id="comment-2059923" class="js-comment comment-wrapper clearfix"> <mark class="hidden" data-comment-timestamp="1207321184"></mark> <div class="well"> <strong></strong> <div class="field field--name-comment-body field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><p>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).</p> </div> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="comment.lazy_builders:renderLinks" arguments="0=2059923&amp;1=default&amp;2=en&amp;3=" token="TrWA_TBieQrD6EeI4YD1iTarMqWNNj_hbUcnQ30-WxI"></drupal-render-placeholder> </div> <footer> <em>By <a title="View user profile." href="/author/grrlscientist" lang="" about="/author/grrlscientist" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">grrlscientist</a> on 04 Apr 2008 <a href="https://scienceblogs.com/taxonomy/term/21256/feed#comment-2059923">#permalink</a></em> <article typeof="schema:Person" about="/author/grrlscientist"> <div class="field field--name-user-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field--item"> <a href="/author/grrlscientist" hreflang="en"><img src="/files/styles/thumbnail/public/pictures/Hedwig%20P%C3%B6ll%C3%B6l%C3%A4inen.jpeg?itok=-pOoqzmB" width="58" height="58" alt="Profile picture for user grrlscientist" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /> </a> </div> </article> </footer> </article> </section> <ul class="links inline list-inline"><li class="comment-forbidden"><a href="/user/login?destination=/grrlscientist/2008/04/04/a-dream-deferred%23comment-form">Log in</a> to post comments</li></ul> Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:59:59 +0000 grrlscientist 86798 at https://scienceblogs.com