Quilts

“Quilts” is a poem aware of how time affects physical substance. Much of the imagery is of wear and tear, using the extended simile of the tablecloth to represent the speaker’s physical change. Giovanni writes with the expectation that the reader knows all things change over time; we know that fabric wears down because exposure to hot or cold, washing, and daily use cause the fibers to stretch. She invites us to imagine the human body aging by showing how one object ages without giving too much away. She shows us what it looks and feels like to change out of our youth and how this wearing down is gradual.

The speaker says early on, “I am a failure” (Line 2), because she no longer functions the way she used to. The poem may sound like a lament of time, yet this is the space where empathy enters the poem: All people know that time brings changes that are still unexpected when they arrive. So the reader feels connected to the speaker, either because they share the experience of aging with her or because they know that our bodies eventually will fade too.

This is where memory plays a vital role in “Quilts.” We hope to maintain our mental grasp on memory as we age—in fact—fear of Alzheimer’s and dementia frequently outpace physical ailments as peoples’ greatest fears about getting older. For a writer, memory keeps their artistic skill alive, even if their body fails. The poem’s speaker maintains that she is “pleased with my memories” (Line 12) because they connect her back to days passed, specifically “tasks” (Line 14) she could complete when she was more physically able. The poem itself works as a physical piece of memory—recorded by the poet—to remind herself of who she is and who she was at a specific point in her life.