Poem: i am offering this poem
by jimmy santiago baca 1990
i am offering this poem to you,
since i have nothing else to give.
keep it like a warm coat
when winter comes to cover you,
or like a pair of thick socks
the cold cannot bite through,
i love you,
i have nothing else to give you,
so it is a pot full of yellow corn
to warm your belly in winter,
it is a scarf for your head, to wear
over your hair, to tie up around your face,

i love you,

keep it, treasure this as you would
if you were lost, needing direction,
in the wilderness life becomes when mature;
and in the corner of your drawer,
tucked away like a cabin or hogan1
in dense2 trees, come knocking,
and i will answer, give you directions,
and let you warm yourself by this fire,
rest by this fire, and make you feel safe

i love you,
it’s all i have to give,
and all anyone needs to live,
and to go on living inside,
when the world outside
no longer cares if you live or die;
remember,

i love you.

question:
the meaning of the poem, not just the obvious meaning of each word but what they mean beyond the literal. do these words suggest something else?
• who is the subject of the poem?
• what are they talking about?
• why do you think the author wrote the poem?
• when is the poem happening?
• where is the poem happening?
• what is the poet’s attitude?
• how does the poem shift from person to person or between different times or places

Poem: I Am Offering This Poem

by Jimmy Santiago Baca 1990

I am offering this poem to you,

since I have nothing else to give.

Keep it like a warm coat

when winter comes to cover you,

or like a pair of thick socks

the cold cannot bite through,

I love you,

I have nothing else to give you,

so it is a pot full of yellow corn

to warm your belly in winter,

it is a scarf for your head, to wear

over your hair, to tie up around your face,

I love you,

Keep it, treasure this as you would

if you were lost, needing direction,

in the wilderness life becomes when mature;

and in the corner of your drawer,

tucked away like a cabin or hogan1

in dense2 trees, come knocking,

and I will answer, give you directions,

and let you warm yourself by this fire,

rest by this fire, and make you feel safe

I love you,

It’s all I have to give,

and all anyone needs to live,

and to go on living inside,

when the world outside

no longer cares if you live or die;

remember,

I love you.

Question:

the meaning of the poem, not just the obvious meaning of each word but what they mean beyond the literal. Do these words suggest something else?

• Who is the subject of the poem?

• What are they talking about?

• Why do you think the author wrote the poem?

• When is the poem happening?

• Where is the poem happening?

• What is the poet’s attitude?

• How does the poem shift from person to person or between different times or places

Who is the subject of the poem?  A loved person

• What are they talking about?  They are talking about love

• Why do you think the author wrote the poem?  Because he is declaring his love

• When is the poem happening?  The poem is happening at the beginning of the relationship

• What is the poet’s attitude?  The poem is sweet, tender, gentle, lovely.

• How does the poem shift from person to person or between different times or places I think nothing will change from person to person, because the poem is straight to the point when talking about love.

Explanation: