A Dream Preferred…
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.–Dreams,
Langston Hughes
I‘ve always been a dreamer. Always wanted things to happen the right way, the way they were choreographed in my overactive imagination. Wanted things to go according to my mental script. The visions I had never really ventured too far off the beaten path, but still… that’s all they were.
Dreams.
And to my dismay, when I was young… they almost never came true.
It was during an after school session with my English teacher, Mr. Morris, that I first read those words by James Langston Hughes. Always being the shy one, the quiet kid that sat in the middle of the room, the one who got good grades in school but never really spoke much, I needed those words.
And my teacher knew it.
He’d read my short stories of a fictitious superhero named Super Willie, who would go on bizarre rescue missions after having, yes, a dream, about where danger lurked. He’d see me staring off into space during class and knew my mind was racing about “who-knows-what,” just knowing that I wasn’t “you-know-where.”
He suspected I was a dreamer, and wanted me to know that it was OK. Those words by Mr. Hughes, given to me by Mr. Morris, made me the Mr. Dreamer I am today.
to convince myself that I could live out my dreams.
It also gave me a license to do what I loved and not be shy about it. The license to write. And write I did. No longer did I feel weird about dreaming up off the wall adventures and putting them to paper. It was like that poem gave me permission to be different. And I loved it.
I look to Langston, who was in his thirties when he penned Dreams, to remind me that no matter how old you are, you can still hold fast, not let go. He relished, as I do now, the opportunity to tell the stories of his people “in ways that reflected their actual culture, including both their suffering and their love of music, laughter and language itself.” That shared dream makes him my main inspiration–but not my only one.
Writers and poets such as Amiri Baraka, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, Hayden Carruth, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, Jane Cooper, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Frost, Nikki Giovanni, Walt Whitman, just to name a few–they all use their imagination as well as real life experiences to tell a story, to keep their dreams alive.
My dreams now consist of wanting to be successful, of settling down with a woman that’s my complement, my equal… my love. They consist of having children and writing books and just enjoying life to the fullest.
Each day — thanks to those people before me that have made their dreams a reality — I take one more step towards that, stripping myself of unnecessary baggage and unwanted drama while holding fast to things that will continue to build me up… constructively… holding fast to what makes me complete.
And that, to me, is what this blog is all about. So fitting is the title IN MY WRITE MIND, as it transmits my thoughts straight to your eyes. To transmit my love of music, my language, my laughter.
My dream.
So thank you, Mr. Morris and Mr. Hughes, for making me Mr. Dreamer.
Thank you for making me believe that, while all dreams don’t necessarily come true… the art of dreaming itself is definitely all write.
Dammit!!! I was just about to leave a smart comment about Super Willie putting on his magic cape and flying over to the management office w/ his fine money, but this post is just too great to mess up.
*sigh* I’m not sure if I have any dreams left anymore. I hope I get some inspiration while I’m on break this weekend. Your post and Coley’s have given me something to think about…
Comment by Blogsome Bay Management — 09.12.05 @ 1:35 pm
Dammit Will!!! Now you got me over here thinking about my dreams and if the dreams from youth are still relevent now. And really, all I wanted to do this afternoon at work is play around on the internet–not think!
Comment by Kajuana — 09.12.05 @ 2:48 pm
from one dreamer to another, thanks for this post… my dreams are ever present, and hearing that i’m not the only one helps me stop questioning my sanity
Comment by glory — 09.12.05 @ 2:59 pm
Nice Blog, the Langston Hughes caught my eye so i decided to stop by. When I was in highschool, we went to NY to visit his home and do a bit of research on him…Glad to hear he is still inspiring others..Keep up the good work!!
Comment by aplomb — 09.12.05 @ 3:06 pm
I love this post…I can’t remember who said it but I love the quote: The moment of enlightenment is when a person’s dreams of possibilities become images of probabilities.
You are a writer’s writer.
Comment by Wise Diva — 09.12.05 @ 4:26 pm
I love Langston Hughes. We have a history….lol
My English teacher, Mr. Ford was a large part of my inspiration…good memories.
Keep sharing.
Comment by Keish — 09.12.05 @ 7:01 pm
Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you. Nice post, Will.
Comment by Nikki — 09.12.05 @ 7:47 pm
Dreams are truly the subconscious dress rehearsal for the curtain call in reality. This post speaks to the essence of creative people…Respect as always…
Comment by Fave — 09.12.05 @ 7:53 pm
:) Nice work.
Comment by Fresh — 09.12.05 @ 8:05 pm
Man, you are on a serious, serious introspective roll. This is amazing stuff. Keep flowing…
Comment by **RPM** — 09.13.05 @ 1:16 am
YES. Nearly every time I come I find myself thinking “exactly.” I have people close to me who were raised in “practical” environments, and it kind of makes me sad. Reading this post reminds me how much I appreciate being able to dare to dream. To reach for what might be possible if we are just creative and steadfast enough. I’m feelin’ you on this one. Never had a Mr. Morris myself, not exactly, but I’m SO glad you did. Solid.
Comment by O — 09.13.05 @ 11:10 am
Who said keeping your head in the clouds was a drawback. The dreamers are there to inspire, to create, to teach. Keep the technicolor in your imagination always, Will.
Comment by TriniPrincess — 09.13.05 @ 2:10 pm
You know Langston is my grandfather, right???
LOL
I kid… I kid!!!
Anyway, he truly inspired me to read and write as a youth. I always admired that in an era where few people could read and write, Langston produced so much literature.
I collect his books. The Best of Simple and The Ways of White Folks are my favorites.
Comment by MsThing — 09.13.05 @ 2:31 pm
Great new blog! I’ll be back. Just wanted to leave my mark. I’m still holding tight to my dreams
www.princessdominique.com/blog
Comment by princessdominique — 09.13.05 @ 4:28 pm
Once again, great entry. Very inspiring, since I was the same kid in class daydreaming. I needed to hear this today. Thanks man.
Comment by Leon — 09.13.05 @ 4:43 pm
I am so in love with this post. Its as if you took the words out of my mouth that I was never able to properly formulate. And I thank you for that. Keep doing your thing, because I’ll keep reading!
Comment by Diva — 09.14.05 @ 4:37 pm