These poems
they are things that I do
in the dark
reaching for you
whoever you are
and
are you ready?
June Jordan wrote this short poem early in her career, long before she became known as one of the most fearless political poets of her generation. She often worked late into the night, alone at her desk, turning private hours into something meant to travel outward to a stranger she would never meet. The poem names the paradox of creative solitude directly: the work happens in isolation, but its purpose is connection. For Jordan, stillness was never an end in itself, it was the quiet room where she prepared something to give away.
Reflection
Jordan treated her quiet solitary writing time as the first step toward reaching another person. What can I do alone this morning that will reach someone else today?