American Dream Deferred

Posted on 2021/01/18 by Bartholomew Barker

American Dream Deferred

A deeply rooted dream
that one day this nation
will live out the true
meaning of its creed

A dream that little children
will one day live not judged
by the color of their skin
but the content of their character

I’d like to live in that America
too

Continuing the long tradition of White men stealing the labor of Black men, I took the title from Langston Hughes and all but the last two lines from Dr. King’s I Have A Dream speech in an erasure style but with the intention not of erasing but emphasizing.

About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.
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13 Responses to American Dream Deferred

  3. Cassa Bassa says:
    2021/01/18 at 22:19

    I love the longing you expressed.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Chen Song Ping @ TPTan says:
    2021/04/20 at 18:24

    It’s the same everywhere. The blood within any skin, is red!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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