For the month of August I’ll be participating in The Sealey Challenge and attempting to read a book of poetry every day (or at least a poem or two), and every day I’ll be sharing a poem with you. The 4th of August’s offering is ‘I Must Become a Menace to My Enemies’ by poet, teacher, and activist, June Jordan (1936-2002). The poem was first published in her 1977 collection, ‘Things that I Do in the Dark’, and recently re-published in ‘The Essential June Jordan’ (2021) as part of the Penguin Modern Classics series.
You can watch this video to hear June Jordan reading the poem, or you can read it below (I recommend both)
I Must Become a Menace to My Enemies by June Jordan Dedicated to the Poet Agostinho Neto, President of The People's Republic of Angola: 1976 1 I will no longer walk behind a one of you who fear me: Be afraid. I plan to give you reasons for your jumpy fits and facial tics I will not walk politely on the pavements anymore and this dedicated in particular to those who hear my footsteps or the insubstantial rattling of my grocery cart then turn around see me and hurry on away from this impressive terror I must be: I plan to blossom bloody on an afternoon surrounded by comrades singing terrible revenge in merciless accelerating rhythms But I have watched a blind man studying his face. I have set the table in the evening and sat down to eat the news. Regularly I have gone to sleep. There is no one to forgive me. The dead do not give a damn. I live like a lover who drops her dime into the phone just as the subway shakes into the station wasting her message canceling the question of her call: fulminating or forgetful but late and always after the fact that could save or condemn me I must become the action of my fate. 2 How many of my brothers and my sisters will they kill before I teach myself retaliation? Shall we pick a number? South Africa for instance: do we agree that more than ten thousand in less than a year but less than five thousand slaughtered in more than six months will WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH ME? I must become a menace to my enemies. 3 And if I if I ever let you slide who should be expatriated from my universe who should be cauterized from the earth completely (lawandorder jerkoffs of the first the terrorist degree) then let my body fail my soul in its bedeviled lecheries And if I if I ever let love go because the hatred and the whisperings become a phantom dictate I o- bey in lieu of impulse and realities (the blossoming flamingos of my wild mimosa trees) then let love freeze me out. I must become I must become a menace to my enemies.
These days, it’s as though whichever way we turn the world is on fire and, while some people frantically attempt to assess the various situations in order to establish which direction to point the hose first, those in positions of power spout empty words in lieu of an effective response, all while igniting the sparks and fanning the flames.
It all feels so dire that I don’t think anyone could be blamed if they found themselves wrestling with the desire to curl up in a corner, eyes closed, hands over their ears with their backs to it all. However, most of the time, I think we have little choice but to resist this temptation in order to act on the love and care we say we feel.
We must also refuse to apologise for our existence or, in any other way, meekly attempt to appease those who have baselessly and unjustifiably chosen to make an enemy of us.
If you are already familiar with this poem (I imagine many of you are), I hope you, too, appreciated revisiting it. If this is your first time reading it, my gosh what an honour it is to have been able to make the introduction.
As the weekend draws to a close, I wish you an easy start to the new week.
See you on day five,
Tasnim
‘away from this impressive terror I must be’
I call her June audaciously because she hugged me when she signed my/her book for me.
I adore this goddess poet.
Such terrorism on our streets in England now, today.
June’s formidable Love must reign I must let her guide me but my rage is furnaceous. I know that’s not a word it’s my feeling . I believe in new words and new worlds.
Thank you Tasnim in solidarity
Treeza
Just wow! !!
So potent & formidable and, sadly, still poignant.
I’m aware of June Jordan via civil rights documentaries but I’ve never read any of her writing till now. An impressive start. Thank you!