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
If you don’t passionately follow your dreams, aspirations, and beliefs, then how are you ever supposed to get your life off the ground? 
 
 The word “dreams” was central to Langston Hughes' poetry: in all their many “variations” (deferred, broken, maintained, achieved), they crop up constantly throughout his work. See for example: 
 
 “Dream Variations” 
 “Harlem” 
 “Dream Boogie” 
 
 His emphasis influenced, among others, Martin Luther King, Jr., whose  “I Have a Dream” speech  and other oratory further elaborates the “deeply rooted” connection between the African-American dream of equality and the American dream as a whole.
Dreams