Orlando C. W. Taylor (New Orleans); Chicago Defender, February 2, 1918

To the dreamer, alone, though the crowd was dense,
Came dreams of a fortune great–
The liveried servant, the mansion tall,
The gold, the silver plate.
Then he awoke to the world of things,
And dreaming did eschew;
He hid himself in a mass of work,
And lo! his dreams came true.

The Christian dreamed of the pearly gates
And the shining streets of gold,
The starry crown, the unending joys
By prophets long foretold:
And then he turned from his dream aside
To lend a hand to you
And to another fellow-man,
And lo! his dream came true.

The Black man dreamed of the days to come,
When men are judged by worth;
When prejudice is cast aside,
When justice rules the earth.
And then, inspired by the vision bright,
He worked with strength anew
To fit himself for the coming day,
And lo! his dream came true.

For visions old and visions new,
Born of a soul’s desire,
have always entered the heart of man
And imaged themselves with fire;
And ofttimes dreams have come to me,
And ofttimes come to you;
But only we who have worked and dreamed
Have seen these dreams come true.