Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Dreams




I have been pondering the value of dreams (desires, goals, not sleep fantasies). Coincidentally, many things I’ve read in the past week have related to “dreams”. I picked up a book of Langston Hughes' poetry at school and found:



Dreams
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Langston Hughes


The Dream Keeper
Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamers,
Bring me all of your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.
Langston Hughes


Water-Front Streets
The spring is not so beautiful there--
But dream ships sail away
To where the spring is wondrous rare
And life is gay.


The Spring is not so beautiful there--
But lads put out to sea
Who carry beauties in their hearts
And dreams, like me.
Langston Hughes




Dream Variation
To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.
Then rest at cool evening
Beneath a tall tree
While night comes on gently,
Dark like me--
That is my dream!


To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance! Whirl! Whirl!
Till the quick day is done.
Rest at pale evening....
A tall, slim tree....
Night coming tenderly
Black like me.
Langston Hughes


As I Grew Older
It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun--
My dream.


And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose slowly, slowly,
Dimming,
Hiding,
The light of my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky--
The wall.


Shadow.
I am black.


I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.


My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!
Langston Hughes


Do you have dreams? Have you given up on them? This is what I am wondering about for myself. It seems I still have many dreams, but is there an age limit when it is no longer appropriate, even silly? I will post these to get you thinking and write again in a while.


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