This quote by Langston Hughes, like so much of his writing, has the
deep and sad timbre of his subject; the experience of racism in his life
and in our culture. How sad to think of not holding to our dreams,
which is something we may be tempted into, particularly in the face of
what may seem like insurmountable odds, or forces that are so large we
cannot imagine being strong enough to take them on. If we give up on
our dreams, they become a life lost, like an injured bird, without hope
of ever getting off the ground again. And yet, inside of this sad
aspect, is the idea of staying true to ourselves and the importance of
our lives through our ability to dream and the power of our
imaginations. While some dreams may fall to the ground, much like an
injured bird, there is always another dream that each one of us may take
in and nurture – for ourselves, our loved ones, groups we care deeply
about or for critical social causes. There are new dreams. There are
new incarnations of lost dreams. The important thing is to keep
dreaming. Keep dreaming and let your dreams soar.
Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist,
playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the
then-new literary art form “jazz poetry.” Hughes is best known for his
work during the Harlem Renaissance. He was born on February 1, 1902,
which was interesting to me because February 1 is my birthday too.
He was the voice for his race during his life and was, in his later
years, deemed the “Poet Laureate of the Negro Race,” a title he
encouraged. Hughes meant to represent the race in his writing and he
was, perhaps, the most original of all African American poets. He died
on May 22, 1967, after complications from surgery. At his funeral, very
little was said by way of eulogy, but the jazz and the blues musicians
who played for him, created a very fitting final tribute to this writer
who had been a creative maverick, for his race and for his generation.
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