Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note by Amiri Baraka for Kellie Jones, born 16 May 1959 Lately, I've become accustomed to the wayThe ground opens up and envelopes meEach time I go out to walk the dog.Or the broad edged silly music the windMakes 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 upTo my daughter's room and heard herTalking to someone, and when I openedThe door, there was no one there...Only she on her knees, peeking into Her own clasped hands.