Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism, including racist violence.

Many poems are titled “In This Dream,” emphasizing the significance of dreams as a recurring symbol that supports the themes of Dreams and Determination and Generational History and Self-Discovery Through Family Legacy. Dreams serve as vessels for answers, relief, premonition, and truth. Although Charley’s dreams initially seem strange, they offer insight into her life, as Nana Kofi explains: 

No such thing as a bad dream, just one that you ain’t figured out the good in yet. 

[…] [N]one of them make any sense [I say]. 

Dreams are today’s answers for tomorrow’s questions. 

[…] [W]e dream to heal our memories or to face our truths (130). 

Nana believes that dreams are never inherently bad but are often misinterpreted, urging the dreamer to uncover their true meaning. By analyzing dreams, individuals can process memories, heal from past wounds, and find clarity to resolve their deepest questions—which will offer them relief.

For Charley, dreams often convey truths that she struggles to grasp while awake. The subconscious mind becomes active during sleep, forging meaningful connections. Her dreams explore themes like her love for baseball, family legacy, and racism: