"I 'm Offering This Poem" by Jimmy Santiago Baca. The author of this beautiful poem was born in New Mexico. He had a difficult life since he was a child; his parents abandoned him. He used to live with his grandmother until he was put on an orphanage. When he was thirteen he ran away from the orphanage and started to live on the streets. By the age of 21 he got into a maximum security prison because of drugs. While he was serving his time in prison, he learned how to read and write. He started to write poetry in prison. This poem that he wrote is talking about how he doesn 't have so much to give to his loved ones just the poem that he wrote with his expressed feelings on it.
In the first stanza, the author …show more content…
(lines 3-6, 20) He mentions a few material things that this person might need in the coldest season, which is winter, but because he doesn 't have nothing else to offer, he can only uses his poem as a coat and a pair of thick socks to protect her from the winter.
In the second stanza, he mentions again, "I have nothing else to give you" (8). The readers might think that the author doesn’t have any money to buy this person things to show her his love. It seems that he uses poetry as a way to express his feelings. In this stanza, he also mentions two more material things such as: a pot full of yellow corn and a scarf. Those two things could be helpful to have when is winter, but he can 't give this person any of this just his poem as a way of protection.
In the third stanza, the author tells this person to keep this poem as a treasure. The word treasure could be referred as something that has a value or a significant meaning. A treasure that she might need to be able to find directions if she gets lost. Is she ever needs help this poem should be able to rescue her and protect her. This poem is him talking to her. When the author says, "rest by this fire, and make you feel safe," he might be the fire in this cold season and he is there to protect her and to make her feel warm …show more content…
At the end of every stanza he says, "I love you" He is definitely offering this poem to either a wife, girlfriend, sister, or daughter. It really is about a woman that he is in love with or a daughter. It could be for a woman that he fall in love with because he says, "and let you warm yourself by this fire, / rest by this fire, and make you feel safe" (21-22). In this quote, fire could be interpreted as passion and love. This poem could be also for a daughter because he says, "If you were lost, needing direction, / in the wilderness life becomes when mature" (15-16). Parents are there to guide their children and give them direction for them to not fail in life so quickly. When the author mentions "wilderness life becomes when mature," he could be talking about how life is so unsettled when a little girl like his daughter is growing and developing