The poem of the day for today’s Black History Month Langston Hughes celebration is Harlem (Dream Deferred). During February each year, people all across the United States celebrate Black History Month. Things are no different here at Janeane’s World. This month I am copying an idea I got from my friend Pammy Pam over at An Unconventional Librarian and I am devoting the entire month to the poems of my favorite author and poet, Langston Hughes. I will share a poem a day for the entire month.
You may ask what place does poetry or celebrations of Black History month have in this blog that was created to encourage, inspire and motivate women to be their best at work and home. I would answer that I am an African-American woman so black history is my history and when you understand and appreciate it, you come closer to understanding and appreciating me. I would also answer that poetry, like all forms of artistic expression fuels our passions, gives us hope makes us think and makes our lives richer and better.
Harlem (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?
Here is my video interpretation of the poem. If you are feeling adventurous, make a recording of your own and send it to me at janeanedavis@janeanesworld.com . It will be fun to check out a variety of interpretations.
This poem is such a great representation of how life works. We must always remember that our dreams are living, breathing things. When we ignore our dreams and don’t act on them, they die. When we take action now and try to accomplish our dreams they grow, they flourish and live. It is important to do things that encourage your dreams to live and grow for many reasons. The first is that when our dreams die, they do not disappear, instead, we carry them around with us. Dead dreams are the regrets, feelings of failure and despair that can sometimes overwhelm us. Dreams that we actively work to accomplish are light to carry, pleasant in our heart and a joy in our minds.
Look at your life today and think about things you are doing to defer your dreams. Stop doing them. Instead, work to make your dreams come to life and then dream more.
If you would like to read more inspirational posts, about doing things better, check out the following.
Take Action Now – It’s Your Dream – Make It Happen
It is magnificent to take action now and realize it is your dream and you can make it happen. One of my favorite and best things to do is TAN. What is TAN? TAN means to Take Action Now, to start doing what needs to be done. When you take action now you leave the world of “what if” and enter the world of “yes, I am doing this.” The world is full of reasons to sit back and wait, to put off until tomorrow. That is a fact everyone seems to know very well. The world is full of excuses. You know, the excuses that keep you from accomplishing your dreams. [Read More . . . ]
Take Action Now and Live The Dream
When you have a dream it is important to work, to do something to make the dream come true. Faith without work is dead and no one wants to be the owner of a dead dream. At the same time, when you take action on your dream, make sure the action is real and that you are not sabotaging your dream without realizing it. For example, recently I was speaking with a group of entrepreneurs about going from dreams to reality. The discussion revolved around the idea of writing checks for some dream amount the entrepreneur would earn in the future. The filled in checks were to be placed where the could be seen each day. This visual cue was thought to be a source of motivation. [Read More . . . ]
Take Action Now to Follow A Dream
Take a moment now to look at your life, think about your dreams. How are you treating your dream, what are you doing with them? What has been your history when dealing with your dreams. Has your habit been to sit back and treat your dreams as precious untouchable things that sit in the china closet of your mind? Or, are you a person who tends to take action now and to treats your dreams as things that must be used, worked and acted upon? There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. No matter what your answer is, answer honestly. Once you have asked the question and answered honestly, you will know your place in the universe.
[Read More . . . ]
If you want to get some Langston Hughes books of your own, check out the following. Please note, these are affiliate links which means I may earn income if you purchase one of these books.
1. This is the book I keep on my desk in my office. It is worn out and the edges are frayed because I use it so much. It was a gift from my husband which makes it a special treasure.
Selected Poems of Langston Hughes (Vintage Classics)
2. The Simple stories were my introduction to Langston Hughes. They are an incredible combination of entertainment, sociology and politics of the time.
The Early Simple Stories (Collected Works of Langston Hughes, Vol 7)