Meaning Of 'Womanskin' By Maxine Tynes

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The poem “Womanskin” by Maxine Tynes has a subtle yet profound meaning. It offers an immediate stance when it begins simply by the word “women” (line 1). It continues on in a specific rhythm of sentences with 3 or more syllables followed by “of loving” between the lines 2-11. Women are being described as warm-hearted people and as “making life”(line 8) and “making our men whole” (line 10). The author then elaborates on where these specific women originate from, “distant daughters of/ the Nile, the Sahara, Kenya, Zaire, Sudan / the Serengeti” (line 15-17). The format allows us to read the text in a calm yet thoughtful pace such as when it’s written “burnished blue-black brown tantan sepia / coffeecoffee cream ebony” (line 21-22). This feature