Why does the speaker offer a poem to the reader rather some other gift

The speaker offered the gift of the poem as a reminder of his love.

Explanation:

"I Am Offering This Poem" is a poem penned by Jimmy Santiago Baca. The poem is addressed to someone whom the speaker loves.

The speaker offers this poem as a gift to his speaker when he does not have any materialistic thing to offer. The poem is offered to the beloved as a reminder of the speaker's love that will give the beloved the warmth of a coat, the nourishment from 'a pot full of yellow corn.'

The speaker urges the beloved to treasure the poem as it will be a direction (or reminder) of the speaker's love in the times when life makes progression.

So, the answer is that the poem is offered as a gift to remind the beloved of the speaker's love.