Let's break down the sentence and find the best fit for the blank:

Analyzing the Context:
The sentence uses the structure "Just as X, so too does Y." This indicates a parallel relationship.
- "Just as reminiscences of a childhood spent in rural Mexico color the poet's work..." - This means the memories influence or shape the work.
- "...so too does the experience of war $\qquad$ her poetry." - The blank needs a word that expresses a similar influence or shaping effect on her poetry, in the same way that childhood memories "color" it.

Let's evaluate the options:
- A. inform: To give (someone) facts or information; to give an essential or formative principle or quality to. This fits perfectly. If an experience "informs" her poetry, it shapes, influences, or provides the basis for it.
- B. mimic: To imitate (someone or something), especially in order to entertain or ridicule. This implies copying, not influencing or shaping.
- C. invalidate: To make (an argument, statement, or theory) unsound or invalid; to cancel or deny. This is the opposite of influencing or shaping; it would suggest the experience renders the poetry worthless.
- D. defer: To put off (an action or event) to a later time; postpone. This means delay, which doesn't fit the context of an experience influencing work.
- E. presage: To be a sign or warning of (an imminent event, typically an unwelcome one); to foretell. This implies predicting or foreshadowing, not influencing or coloring.

Therefore, inform is the best fit for the blank, maintaining the parallel structure and meaning established by "color" in the first part of the sentence.