Dream Boogie

Good morning, daddy!

Ain't you heard

The boogie-woogie rumble

Of a dream deferred?

Listen closely:

You'll hear their feet

Beating out and beating out a —

You think

It's a happy beat?

Listen to it closely:

Ain't you heard

something underneath

like a —

What did I say?

Sure,

I'm happy!

Take it away!

Hey, pop!

Re-bop!

Mop!

Y-e-a-h!

Hughes himself says that the book from which this comes "Montage of a Dream Deferred" (1951) should be viewed as a complete poem in itself and not a collection of short poems.