Dream Deferred

"What happens to a dream deferred?"

To take a break from metaphor, I'll speak on similes.  The question posed in the beginning of the poem is then followed by a serious of similes, suggesting an answer to what happens to our forgotten dreams.  Is the dream to shrivel and die like a raisin in the sun?  Or is the dream to puss over like a nasty sore?  Perhaps it will give off the aroma like that of rotten flesh, or even crust over like a syrupy sweet.  These similes refer to the negative possibilities associated with deferred dreams.  Then in the last line the author questions "Or does it explode?"  The italics obviously place some significance on the words, so best is to analyze the words.  I thought this reversal of the possibilities was interesting.  All the similes refer to the dream dying.  Then, interesting enough, a metaphor comes along and gives a new possibility.  Could this dying dream perhaps explode into reality?  Maybe the motivation to fulfill dreams stems from the fact that the dreams aren't fulfilled.