When I first read this by myself, it thought that the writer was very depressed. Considering that the title said suicide note in it, I thought that the writer was actually contemplating suicide. The “holes” that he talks about may be the people who have left him and have caused his heart to break a little more every time. This may be one of the reasons that he is depressed. The ending lines, where he talks about his daughter praying, could be a symbol of hope in his darkness. It may be the reason he decided not to end his life. He may think that if his daughter, at such a small age, can believe in a happy ending, then he should also.
When we read this in class again, I was really surprised to see that it was written by Amiri Baraka. I didn’t note the name of the author when I first read it. After reading “Black Art,” I couldn’t imagine that it was the same writer. Then Professor Kaufman mentioned that his view of life changes with his experiences, and the poem started to make sense in the time that they were written. It takes a lot of courage to admit to everyone that your view was wrong, especially to such a big audience. This made me respect Amiri Baraka more.
