The Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry Stomp  "The Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry Stomp" is a short poem written in 1980 by Martín Espada and published in 1990 in his volume of poems entitled "Rebellion is the Circle of a Lover's Hands". Espada wrote the poem in 1980 in Madison, Wisconsin. It is free verse in form and utilizes imagery and metaphor as the main literary elements in the poem. In a talk he gave at the University of Arizona in 1992, Espada stated that in his "wanderings" between New York and Puerto Rico, he traveled to Wisconsin to go to school. He came upon hard times, and ultimately found himself "officially destitute," which is when he visited the Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. It was at the food pantry that he had the experience which inspired this poem. Through the entirety of the poem, Espada creates vivid imagery for the reader, especially through his use of metaphor and simile. Due to the fact that he is a largely political writer, it is likely that Espada meant this poem to be a protest against the way people treat the poor. This is evidenced by the phrase "Christian suspicion" in the second line of the poem. In the end, he uses the phrase "a maraca shaker in the salsa band of the unemployed." This is a reference to his Latino heritage.