"I Am Offering This Poem" is a poem by

Jimmy Santiago Baca Jimmy Santiago Baca (born January 2, 1952) is an American poet, memoirist, and screenwriter from New Mexico. Early life and education Baca was born in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, in 1952. Abandoned by his parents at the age of two, he lived ...

, first published in ''Immigrants in Our Own Land'' (1979). It was reprinted in 1990 in the collection ''Immigrants in Our Own Land and Selected Early Poems.'' Baca’s diction and imagery convey a central theme of the work- the importance of poetry and art in general.

History

Jimmy Santiago Baca, an American poet of Chicano descent, began writing poetry during five years he spent in prison (1973-1978) for drug charges. During these years, he learned to read and began writing the poetry that reflected his personal story of incarceration, and the complex world of the US penal system. “I am Offering This Poem” deals with the themes of the importance of art for survival in oppressive environments, lack of material possessions and love. It has been said to be a love poem that "insist that love itself is a gift more valuable and sustaining than any material comfort."{{Cite web , title=LitCharts , url=https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/jimmy-santiago-baca/i-am-offering-this-poem , access-date=2022-06-25 , website=LitCharts , language=en

References

External links

Text of "I Am Offering This Poem" at Poetry Foundation.More on Jimmy Santiago Baca"I Am Offering This Poem"
on YouTube 1990 poems