See below the full text of the poem “Dream Deferred” by the African-American poet, Langston Hughes.
Are you familiar with Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun? It is from this poem, Dream Deferred that the title is taken. Check out line 3 below.
Table of Contents
Langston Hughes: 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?
Quite brief, right? Yes, Dream Deferred is one of those popular poems that are so short but carry a good deal of substance in them.
SEE ALSO
How to Understand Unseen Poetry
Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats
