Fuel me
With rich stories
While I execute dreams
Unrealized and extinguished
“Ignite!”

I know what happens to a dream deferred.
Rather than dry up
or ooze like a festering sore
it yellows, then browns
then falls slowly to the ground
like leaves in the cold.

Dreams deferred do not smell
of rotten meat, or a syrupy sweet
but of cherry blossoms
and people hurrying down the street
sharing silence or words
with unnoted glances in between.

A dream deferred does not sag
like a heavy load
or even explode.
Instead it spreads
like moonlight.
It takes hold
and does not let go.

Have you ever had a Dream?
Something you wanted to get done?
Something that made you smile inside?
Something that sounded like fun?

A dream that inspired you to reach for the stars.
It could be finding someone special or driving fancy cars?

Maybe completing a degree or getting finances on track.
Maybe going on a cruise or traveling the world round and back.

Helping those less fortunate by giving of yourself.
Or just moving up the corporate ladder instead of sitting on a shelf.

Our dreams should inspire us to be our true I&I.;
They should encourage us to be authentic and not live a lie.

They don’t always come easy and the work might not be fun.
But the most fulfilling feeling is when the work is all done.

What happens to a dream that we have placed to the side?
Was it our own decision, or did someone else decide?
Our dreams are our very own requiring our own blood sweat and tears.
They propel us forward along the way dispelling many fears.

The dream thing may seem daunting with the goal seemingly so far.
But in actuality they are sometimes nearer than we think they are.

Don’t lose hope and let your coveted dreams go to waste.
Remember they were the very future that you once chased.

Brush off the naysayers and pursue your dreams with steadfast vitality.
For one day your very dreams will become your own reality.

I was once filled with wonderful things
My mom called them dreams and said one day they’ll come true
How naive of me at my young age to think that fulfillment would flicker on like a light switch
Now dreams go unfulfilled because I thought it’d be easy
Easy to flip the switch when I wanted to
Now I see the real deal
Deferred dreams bear fruit ripe for the picking
All I need is a ladder to reach my destiny
The rotten, unworthy dreams have already fallen from the tree
But the good, ripe promising dreams remain
Holding on strong
No matter the harshness of the season I go through
Life keeps moving, fruit keeps bearing
Hold fast to dreams they only die when you let them

A pipe -- deferred
The American Dream
Shrivels
Raisin in the
Sun