The selected text is a question that asks about the mood of a poem by Nikki Giovanni titled “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long”. The mood of a poem is the feeling or atmosphere that the poet creates for the reader. To answer this question, we need to read the poem and identify the words and images that convey the poet’ds attitue and emotions.According to one source1, the poem is a tribute to the librarian who introduced Giovanni to the world of literature and helped her escape from the harsh realities of being a black girl in the segregated South. The poem expresses gratitude, admiration, nostalgia, and joy for Mrs. Long and the books she provided. Some examples of the poet’s language that contribute to this mood are:
“We sat on the front porches watching / The jfg sign go on and off greeting / The neighbors” - This creates a sense of community and warmth among the black people who lived on Vine Street.
“I heard nat king cole and matt dennis, june christy and ella fitzgerald / And sometimes sarah vaughan sing black coffee” - This shows the poet’s appreciation for music and culture that reflected her identity and heritage.
“There was a bookstore uptown on gay street / Which I visited and inhaled that wonderful odor / Of new books” - This reveals the poet’s love for reading and learning new things.
“Mrs. Long asking what are you looking for today / When I wanted Leaves of Grass or alfred north whitehead / She would go to the big library uptown” - This demonstrates Mrs. Long’s kindness and dedication to provide Giovanni with books that were not available at the black library, even if it meant facing humiliation from the white librarians.
“But she nonetheless brought the books / Back and I held them to my chest / Close to my heart” - This illustrates the poet’s gratitude and attachment to Mrs. Long and the books she gave her.
“But there was a world / Somewhere / Out there / And Mrs. Long opened that wardrobe” - This compares Mrs. Long to the character of the wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia, who opened a portal to a magical world for the children who entered it.
“But no lions or witches scared me / I went through / Knowing there would be Spring” - This suggests that the poet was not afraid of exploring new worlds and ideas through books, and that she had hope for a better future.