Ellen Bass is an American poet, writer, and teacher whose work centers on love, sex, food, relationships, conflict, and healing. In her poem "Basket of Figs," published in the 2002 collection Mules of Love, the speaker invites her lover to lay bare her pain in the intimate space of their relationship.
In the poem, the speaker compares her lover's pain to fine embroidery, valuable jewels, and luxurious food. Using these metaphors alongside imperatives, the speaker conveys to her lover that it is safe to bring forth all of her pain. Doing so would allow the lover to be supported by the speaker and reach a new level of intimacy within the relationship.
After its publication in 2002, Mules of Love received a Lambda Literary Award, marking it as an important collection that gives voice to LGBTQ people. This book was somewhat of a literary reincarnation for Bass, who had focused on writing nonfiction for many years prior to Mules of Love. Despite her success in the nonfiction realm, Bass has said that her passion in life remains poetry. "Basket of Figs" intends to ignite the reader's senses and insist upon joy and love even amidst pain.
