Dream Variations

Vocabulary List

Here are important words and phrases from the poem. Try to guess the meaning first, then check the definitions.

• Fling
  To throw or hurl forcefully. Here, it suggests a free, expressive, and joyful movement of the arms.
  "She wanted to fling her arms wide and embrace the beauty of nature."
• Whirl
  To move rapidly in a circle or to spin around.
  "The dancers would whirl across the stage."
• White day
  A poetic term for the daylight hours, often implying brightness or the dominant culture's perception of "day."
  "We worked hard all through the white day until the sun set."
• Quick day
  A fast-moving or short day, suggesting a fleeting or intense experience of joy and freedom.
  "The summer afternoon felt like a quick day, ending too soon."
• Pale evening
  The time just before nightfall, when the light is faint and dim.
  "They sat on the porch in the pale evening light."
• Tenderly
  In a gentle, loving, or kind manner.
  "The mother tenderly hugged her child."
• Black like me
  A powerful phrase that directly connects the speaker's identity as a Black person to the natural beauty and gentleness of night.
  "The speaker finds comfort in the night, which is 'black like me.'"