Thoughts on reading about the repair of the Hubble Telescope:
Where have all our dreams gone?
In the past, they sailed us to Plymouth Rock, walked us through the wilderness with Daniel Boone, led us down the trail with Lewis and Clark. They ran with us to California and Alaska seeking gold, floated us with Alan Shepard in that first run into space, and landed us on the moon with Neil Armstrong.
Today the space shuttle is on its last run with no plans to replace it. Have we reached and gotten weary of the last frontier? What impossible dreams do our grandchildren have to look forward to?
When did they fade--those dreams that took us to the stars? Did we lose our courage for dreaming amid the jungles of Viet Nam, in the caves of Afganistan, on the streets of Iraq?
Langston Hughes wrote, "Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." I don't want that to be my legacy--I am praying for our leaders to begin to dream again--soon.
Showing posts with label Langston Hughes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Langston Hughes. Show all posts
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Dreamers
Where would the world be without dreamers? Those who look to the future with imagination and hope....
One of my favorite poets is Langston Hughes. His childhood years were unstable because his father, a lawyer, left the family and moved to Mexico because of racism in the U. S. Raised by his grandmother, he was taught a sense of racial pride as she told him stories about his African ancestors. He was elected class poet in grammar school since he "had a sense of rhythm."
(More racism!) He later lived with his father in Mexico trying to persuade him to support Langston at Columbia in his desire to be a writer. His father said he would pay for an engineering degree, so Hughes went to Columbia studying engineering. He dropped out because of the racial prejudice at the university, but later got a degree at Lincoln University. After dropping out of Columbia, Hughes moved to Harlem where he came of age as a poet in the Harlem Renaissance.
His book The Dream Keeper and Other Poems was published for children in 1994 with wonderful pen and ink drawings by Brian Pinkney. Here are some "dreamer" selections:
One of my favorite poets is Langston Hughes. His childhood years were unstable because his father, a lawyer, left the family and moved to Mexico because of racism in the U. S. Raised by his grandmother, he was taught a sense of racial pride as she told him stories about his African ancestors. He was elected class poet in grammar school since he "had a sense of rhythm."
(More racism!) He later lived with his father in Mexico trying to persuade him to support Langston at Columbia in his desire to be a writer. His father said he would pay for an engineering degree, so Hughes went to Columbia studying engineering. He dropped out because of the racial prejudice at the university, but later got a degree at Lincoln University. After dropping out of Columbia, Hughes moved to Harlem where he came of age as a poet in the Harlem Renaissance.
His book The Dream Keeper and Other Poems was published for children in 1994 with wonderful pen and ink drawings by Brian Pinkney. Here are some "dreamer" selections:
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.
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.
His poem "Dream Variation" contains the much used phrase, "black like me."
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