The rainbow

In the process of journal writing I did a review of the books from the long reading list, and one of them appeared a bit differently to me.

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange

When I first read it, I knew I wasn't getting it enough. It is a choreopoem, so with the book you can get the words, and an idea of the actions and how it looks, but it just isn't the same. I accepted that.

When I went over Thirteen Reasons Why, I mentioned that it did not seem real to me that she would commit suicide. Her alienation felt real, but not that reaction to it. It was somewhat the same with this.

None of the stories felt like suicides to me. Of course, in the play they don't die. They have considered it, but ultimately are following their own rainbows, continuing to live. For having "suicide" in the title, it did not seem to be that much about it.

I still believe it is realistic. Based on things that other Black women have said, it appears that the pressures that come from institutional racism, and internalized racism, and misogyny and misogynoir, that appears to be enough to get them to where they at least think of it. It's horrible but it's reality. Perhaps because it is so common in that way, it could remain unstated in the play. It is the underlying truth, and subtext.

It is a completely reasonable interpretation to say that what saves each of these women is that they find their own path - their rainbow - and by choosing to follow it they are able to go on. That is perfectly reasonable, but I had another thought.

I think I had the thought because of the slash in the title, as if there were two different titles and two different parts. I think that figured into it.

Each women is a color. There are Ladies in Red, Blue, Orange, Green, Yellow, Purple, and Brown. Together they make a rainbow. And what occurred to me thinking about the book two years after I read it: maybe they were enough.

At times the other women do stand in for the voices of criticism that are faced, but also they commiserate and support and understand. Maybe that rainbow is enough.

If we will care for each other and help each other, instead of piling on because we don't want to feel weak, or closing off because we are afraid, maybe we can be enough for each other.