In her debut poetry collection Requite, Malaika Kegode’s lens is on people, the ones that speak to us through music and books, those both real and imagined, as she shines a light on loneliness and the sometimes unbearable burden of love and being loved. It is a love letter to the testament of humanity and the patchwork of people that make up our lives. Her gently crafted style is tender, astute and unfalteringly humane as she blends the mundane, everyday rituals of brewing tea and watching TV with the vast subjects of love, loss, growth and rebirth.