The Skin I'm In

Poetry is a recurring element in the novel. It appears in the very first chapter, when Miss Saunders quotes a poem when telling Maleeka that her skin is “[l]ike a blue-black sky after it’s rained and rained” (8). Poetry appears again when Maleeka finds her father’s poem for her, describing her as beautiful, brown, and someone he loves dearly. In the following chapter, Maleeka reads from a poetry book in the library, which reminds her of her father. Finally, the final chapter features Caleb’s love poem for Maleeka, where he asks for her to be with him again and compares her to chocolate candy.

Poetry in the novel always connects to the theme of love, either for oneself or for someone else. This is significant, as a major theme in the novel is self-love. Through most of the poems, Maleeka is reminded that her dark skin is beautiful and is appreciated by others. Poetry also highlights Maleeka’s talent as a developing writer. While her Akeelma letters are not poetry, they demonstrate that she is a writer, just as her father was through his poetry. Therefore, poetry also draws a connection between Maleeka and her late father.