Seeing the World Anew

Review and Q&A with Tamara J. Madison, author of Threed, This Road Not Damascus

by Madeleine Barnes

This lyrically captivating, melodic, glowing, lightning-bright book is musical and rhythmic in a way that stays with you. Reading it is almost like wading through music as well as words. Rather than glossing over trauma or ignoring the suffering in the world, Madison’s book reminds us, with its profound blooming linguistic surge, of what art can do—it clarifies our values and reminds us of what’s worth saving, whether it’s another human being, a voice, or a vision.

The language in this energetic book aims at the echo chamber of the world and reminds us of how much words matter. Through elements of religious imagery, Madison questions biblical teachings and both draws from and confronts the King James Version of the Bible, one of the greatest sources of poetry in the English language.

To read a book of poetry that sees the world so clearly and includes its gorgeousness and hope during a time of great trauma and distress is a blessing. Madison looks at the world with an astonishing gentleness of perception, whether she is writing about women’s bodies, the bodies of people of color, violence, protest, scripture, slavery, or society’s historical preoccupation with womanhood and virtue. The words in her expertly crafted poems leap and dance across the pages like notes on a music score—it’s no surprise to learn that musicians and composers are among her greatest influences. In “The Queen’s Libations,” she writes, “I feel you / now, wild and rushing. // Twelve days, non-stop, Mama, / for you I pour this life tide- / wild, rushing ruby rain / to heal us all.” Madison’s poems themselves are a life-tide; readers will cherish their momentum, their daring, their lucid dreaming, and their imagination. These poems illuminate, question, and defy God; their images weep and celebrate and bite down. In “Flora,” she writes, “Titanium threads root, / silver stems ascend, / concrete contracts, / splits / as copper waters birth / crowning heads / of cast iron roses.” Her images are gifts packed with vivid memory that spark and wait for us to pick them up and behold them.

In a recent reading with Trio House Press, Madison reminded us that words have the power to both curse and bless, and her sonically brilliant book invites us to witness this irreversible truth alongside her. In her poetry, she generously gathers us, painting us into a canvas of flames and fearless women where we can breathe, dance, “hold each other closer,” and “peacefully surrender.” The book itself is a song of resistance, a series of chords, a “starving loom that waits.” Threed, This Road Not Damascus embodies a rebellious, electric hope and vision that simultaneously nods to history and sings us a world that can be saved. 

Q&A With the Author

Madeleine Barnes: This book is so lyrically and rhythmically beautiful—did you listen to music while you were writing your work? Are there any musicians or songs that have changed your life?

Tamara J. Madison: I love the fact that you asked that question! (LOL) It is a confirmation for me. Music is one of the greatest influences on my work as poet. Your comment and question here are a confirmation that the music is still at work. I did not listen to music while writing. I do not usually, but I do hear music as I write poetry. One of my earliest artistic mentors is musician, composer, director, and innovator, Sir Kahil El’Zabar. He introduced me as a young artist to a particular jazz scene at one time in Chicago. I grew immensely with exposure to such powerful music and musicians. The complexity of the music, the intuition and dexterity of the musicians, and the intensely creative environment introduced me to another level of craftsmanship and groomed me as a poet.

One of my literary influences at the time and to this day is Poet Sterling D. Plumpp. Sterling is a fierce poet honed by black music and its history. Sterling escorted me to blues clubs in the Chicago scene. These and my upbringing in the black church are all musical and storytelling influences in my work.

Madeleine: In a recent correspondence you wrote that you’re still learning the music of the voice of this book. What are you continuing to learn from this voice? Where did this voice arise from?

Tamara: This voice is a culmination of dreams, visions, conversations, and experiences that I have had with others over the years. There has long been discussion about the Divine Feminine or various goddesses in mythology, each with her own powers and challenges. Most often they are archetypes: the queen mother, the seductive love goddess, and the virgin. I often found myself in conversations where women questioned the idea of being only one. This presented the idea of identifying with all of them for a more holistic and empowered approached to womanhood and womanly experience. 

“Three-Breasted Woman” speaks to many, if not most, of us at some point. I am still learning how to translate what I learn from her in my head and heart through my word and deed. She moves with fierce focus and unquestionable clarity about who she is and the power she holds. She does not allow mundane chaos to confuse her. That is a life-long work-in-progress for me.  

 Madeleine: Who are your greatest influences? 

Tamara: I mentioned two of my greatest influences earlier. I must say that I have many. Poetically speaking, Aimé Césaire, Lucille Clifton, and Ntozake Shange are big influences for me. I am also a big fan of Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler and Tananarive Due in fiction. The magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez intrigues and inspires me. I find a kinship in these writers, but they also take me to new places and push me to grow.

 Madeleine: The poems that confront King James I are so powerful! The King James Version of the Bible is one of the greatest sources of poetry in the English language. What was the influence of the King James Bible on your work? What draws you back to it? 

Tamara: Being raised in a lineage of Christian ministers and present in the church throughout my youth, I was surrounded by scripture and storytelling from the Bible. It is one of my earliest examples of literature. Where I was raised, the church was an integral part of the community. Remnants of biblical teachings easily weaved their way into my work. As I matured, like many youths, I began to question what I had learned, especially the biblical interpretations that pertained to women and earth-toned people. I thus became more conscious of biblical imagery in my work and began to use it with greater awareness and intention.

 Madeleine: In section three, you have two poems titled “Nomenclature: Poet’s Research 1,” and “Anatomy: Poet’s Research 2”. One thing I love is how this book incorporates history and research and helps us see the world anew. What moments in history or historical figures stay with you? 

Tamara: I do not consider myself to be much of a history buff; however, the intersection of historical movements and the arts does interest me. The Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement were early motivations for me. Later, I was intrigued by the influence of colonialism on art and culture in different places.

 Madeleine: What do you hope a reader will take away from this gorgeous book? 

Tamara: You already mentioned it when you said something about the book helping us to see the world anew. We are often shown only one way to grow or obtain enlightenment and fulfillment. Most often that one way derived from the traditions and laws that served and protected a few and their exclusive interests. The book suggests another road, another way to look at enlightenment and power. Power does not have to be the ability to control and/or ultimately destroy. Power does not have to belittle and berate. The ability to co-exist without fear of that which is different is a far more complex task that demands much more of us and thus provokes us to grow and expand in ways that many of our minds can hardly fathom.