Harlem Poem
Published: Oct 20, 2025
Updated: Apr 25, 2026
Harlem
By Langston Hughes 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?