I Am Offering This Poem Poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca

I Am Offering This Poem

Rating: 4.2


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 the 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 it 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 a hogan
in dense 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 it's 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.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Alistair Graham 01 November 2013

I offer you my love After Jimmy Santiago Baca Remember it is cold outside it is dog eat god outside solidarity is scorned outside life is lived for money outside some would eat their young outside sell their souls outside it’s every man for himself outside the offering, remember is inside

43 7 Reply
Macharia Kanyari 26 April 2012

Very strong message, clear and exprtly crafted language. This poem certainly deserves to be hear. Nice one Mr. Jimmy

22 13 Reply
Elizabeth Padillo Olesen 05 November 2012

What a wonderful gift, something which is not wrapped but something that is a product of an open heart and mind. Thanks for your poem which is your gift to your beloved and your gift to life.

23 6 Reply
Greg Dennison 03 November 2012

Hey Jimmy, awesome poem man! You are truly talented.

19 9 Reply
Koketso Nassy 01 November 2012

I will keep this peom somewhere safe; it is a treasure for my heart when the times are set to be hard and i shiver in the cold, when hunger gnawsme and I can't live the way i want. I love it. This is good, way too good.

18 9 Reply
Bharati Nayak 04 February 2024

A worthy poem selected as the Poem of the Day!

0 0 Reply
Chinedu Dike 22 October 2021

Well expressed thoughts and feelings......

0 0 Reply
Geeta Radhakrishna Menon 22 October 2021

Frank, bold and upright.....I have nothing to offer except this poem.

0 0 Reply
Ruta Mohapatra 22 October 2021

It's all I have to give....but such a lot to give...

1 0 Reply
Jose Gonzalez 21 October 2021

Very loving moving poem. This is what you write to your love when you dont have anything to give her but your heart

1 0 Reply
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Jimmy Santiago Baca

Jimmy Santiago Baca

Santa Fe, New Mexico
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