Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note by Amiri Baraka

Lately, I’ve become accustomed to the way
The ground opens up and envelopes me
Each time I go out to walk the dog.
Or the broad edged silly music the wind
Makes when I run for a bus…

Things have come to that.

And now, each night I count the stars.
And each night I get the same number.
And when they will not come to be counted,
I count the holes they leave.

Nobody sings anymore.

And then last night I tiptoed up
To my daughter’s room and heard her
Talking to someone, and when I opened
The door, there was no one there…
Only she on her knees, peeking into

Her own clasped hands.

1. What is the mood of the speaker in the opening lines? What images suggest his feelings?
Depression. The sounds of the words “Lately,” “way”, “opens,” “envelopes,” “go,” “wind,” “run,” slow the stanza down and readers can feel down from the proliferation of "o" sounds as well as the notion of the ground opening up and enveloping the poet.

2. What is the significance of the daughter's gesture of peeking into "her own clasped hands"?
Peeking into "her own clasped hands" suggests that the persona's daughter is praying and it changes the his short suicide note into a twenty volume note that will never be completed.

3. What does the title mean? How does it explain the closing line?
The word "preface" suggests that the persona had intentions to commit suicide and had made suicide notes but "my daughter" was the reason he changed his mind.

4. Why does Baraka have three short lines, separated as stanzas? How do they convey the message of the poem?
The lines "Things have come to that." and "Nobody sings anymore." show that the persona has grown "accustomed" to everything and nothing brings joy to him anymore whereas the last line "Her own clasped hands." gives hope and a reason to turn over a new leaf. 

5. Why does Baraka begin stanzas with "Lately," "And now," and "And then"?  What do these transition words accomplish? 
The transition words show how the persona slowly changes his mind and eventually aborted his plans on committing suicide as he sees hope in "Her own clasped hands."

6. How does the speaker feel about the daughter? What does she represent to him?
The daughter is the one to whom the persona has responsibility, the daughter is the one who loves him and whom he loves. The daughter represents hope and faith.