Poem of the Day
Harlem
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...
A note from the editor: Langston Hughes was born on this day in 1902. February is also Black History Month. Read our poem guide for "Harlem," written by Scott Challener.
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