Tuesday, April 5, 2011

N+7: Langston Hughes' "A Dream Deferred"

Just for fun, here's a poem by Langston Hughes to which I have loosely applied the "N+7" technique, a style of poetry reimagination invented by members of the French writer's group OULIPO. You can read more about the group (and this specific poetic exercise) here.
 

Dreck Deferred: a loosely constructed N+7
by Langston Hughes (and Daniel Driver)

What happens to dreck deferred?

Does it dry up
Like a Rajkot in a superalloy?

Or fester like a sorority--
And then run?

Does it stink like a rotten mechanic?
Or crust and suicide over--
like a syrupy swelter?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy loan shark.

Or does it explode?

3 comments:

  1. Where does your dictionary take its car to be serviced? I'm staying away from there!

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  2. Tony-very funny. Don't take your dreck to that sorority or you may have to pay a heavy loan shark!

    Daniel, this radically changes the original, and foils readers' expectations--but there's still something left of the original in the rhythms. I like the surprises this version adds. It also seems somewhat irreverent, as the original poem is about a social justice issue. This poem is definitely about something else! (But what??)

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  3. I agree with Ann. Although the nouns were substituted with other nouns, the backbone of the famous poem is still there. It is interesting to compare the effects of the N+7 technique on different poems. It can completely change them or keep them somewhat the same.

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