Diego Báez's poem reveals the shifting perceptions of time experienced by parents. Memories of the past, present, and future merge as images of a child evoke a profound emotional journey. The discussion highlights how parenthood transforms identity and memory, drawing connections between these themes through vivid metaphors. The transformative power of family relationships emerges, showcasing the desire to honor fleeting moments in monumental ways.
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Poem as Mirror
In workshops, people seamlessly shift from discussing poems to their own lives.
The poem becomes a mirror, reflecting their experiences and changing their interpretation.
insights INSIGHT
Metaphor of the Car and Daughter's Journey
Diego Báez's poem "Inheritance" uses the car as a metaphor for his daughter's life journey.
Báez acknowledges his daughter will develop her own narrative, separate from his.
insights INSIGHT
Parenthood and Time
Parenthood shifts one's perception of time, its function, and centrality.
It's not just about time moving faster, but a deeper engagement with life and death.
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Many people say their experience of time changes after they have children, a phenomenon that Diego Báez captures in “Inheritance.” In this poem, a past, present, and future starring the same child shift ceaselessly in a parent’s mind, like photos flipped through in an album, dots placed on a timeline, moments that one wishes they could build monuments for.
Diego Báez, is a writer and educator in Chicago, where he teaches at the City Colleges of Chicago. He earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers University - Newark. A writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, Báez’s work has been published in Freeman's, The Rumpus, The Georgia Review, The Thing Itself Journal, Number Eleven Magazine, and Hobart. His poetry has appeared in Luna Luna, la fovea, Granta, and elsewhere. He serves as a Director of the Board for the National Book Critics Circle and the International David Foster Wallace Society. Báez was an inaugural fellow at CantoMundo in 2010. Yaguareté White, published in 2024 by The University of Arizona Press, is his debut poetry collection.