“Harlem” is another title for the poem below.
A Dream Deferred
by Langston HughesWhat 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?
Eduhonesty: I believe some dreams dry up so early and so thoroughly that the once-dreamers no longer even remember that they once dreamed.