“Quilts” is a lyric poem that extends a simile from the first line over the whole poem. This simile compares the speaker to an object, so she is “[l]ike a fading piece of cloth” (Line 1), and it sets up an unbroken connection between the cloth and the speaker. A simile is a type of figurative language that compares two unlike things—and in this case—combines them into a single image. The speaker and the cloth become one image to make a particular point; we know the speaker is not literally a piece of fabric, but we accept her relationship to this object and learn why she feels connected to it. Because she is fading with age, the speaker thinks, “I am a failure” (Line 2); her thinking here shows an uneasiness with how usefulness is determined. She feels like this piece of cloth because fading aligns with failure for her.

In the next stanza, she clarifies that the object of the simile is a well-worn tablecloth: “No longer do I cover tables filled with food and laughter” (Line 3), which has been put away. The tablecloth here represents days of dinner parties, family gatherings, and joyful times with people loved by the speaker.