No Enemies

The acclaimed poet Jimmy Santiago Baca brings a conviction to these new poems: that a writer with a gift for language owes something to the common good. He speaks directly to people who use their connections to benefit themselves while the poor, the incarcerated and the undocumented bear the cost. His sharpest lines are aimed at those who put lucrative careers ahead of honesty and who prey on the vulnerable. In one poem he tells a governor that if a job requires ignoring the truth, the least that official can do is outlaw automatic weapons.

Other poems turn toward his Indigenous roots, offering affectionate tributes to buffalo, prayers to his ancestors at sacred places, and the plants clinging to steep mountainsides. Those plants model the tenacity he hopes to learn, holding onto hope and leaning into life so as not to fall.

Baca also tackles pressing concerns of the present day, including education, justice, the environment and the coronavirus pandemic. In one poem he argues that the threats we face do not arrive from across the border.