By Tara M. Stringfellow
The Dial Press, 91 pages
Published June 25, 2024
“(These) women in my life are magic enuff” Tara Stringfellow writes, celebrating the resilience of Black women while mourning the climate that fosters it. She connects the women of her family with stories of women ranging from Harriet Tubman to Trayvon Martin’s mother, addressing them with compassion and offering us hope.
Through sparse poems, Magic Enuff tells a story both cohesive and contradictory. Black men are often the abusers, yet Black boy joy is celebrated ”when they/be free/ be learning/ be laughing/ be alive.” A daughter can love the father who abuses her mom, crediting him for raising “a warrior.” And the fierce love between sisters can strengthen them into mama bears when they come to each other’s defense.
This isn’t Hollywood — the fullness of Black life is never boiled down to be more palatable for a White audience. Instead, Stringfellow runs the gamut, eulogizing murdered young Black men such as Eric Garner and Lacquan McDonald and connecting with their stories. She offers ample hope as she recalls “that my city listened to this Black woman” on Christmas Day she witnessed a stabbing and White bystanders rallied “like members of (her) own family.”
Stringfellow is a magician whose lyrical and lush descriptions go down easy — at first. The conclusion of each poem, however, draws a sharp gasp of recognition at the painful honesty it contains. The arc of Magic Enuff bends toward hope, however, offering readers a benediction in a slim volume of poetry that reveals deeper truths upon each re-reading.
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