When I was very young, I am told there was a rag man who came from house to house collecting pieces of cloth that no longer had much use. He took those pieces and wove them into rag rugs which he then sold to earn money. For many years my mother had one, very similar to the one in the picture, on the floor in front of our kitchen sink!
Everyone wants their stories told about what happened to their ancestors in the past. Obviously, we cannot tell every detail of every story, so bits and pieces of the truth are woven together to make what we understand to be our collective history.
History is woven like a rag rug
pieces woven together to make a solid tapestry
Colorful, yet never of one truth alone it seems
but of many colors, versions, and perspectives
all woven into a solid mat that we can stand on
to protect ourselves against the cold hard true reality
that we would rather not experience in detail
Rag Rugs found on: https://www.etsy.com/
what an interesting poetic take on history!
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Thank you so much , Barbara!
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Reblogged this on How I found My Muchness.
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I love the rag rug metaphor for history; your poem is original and insightful.
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Thank you for your kind words. It came to me the other day and I quickly wrote it down. I grabbed it when the inspiration hit me.
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You’re welcome. And I agree about needing to catch inspiration before it merrily flits away.
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:>)
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I agree with Liz here – really like the idea of history being woven like the rugs.
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Thank you very much!
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A wonderful story and a intrically woven poetic response Dwight
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Thank you, my friend!
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I love the shape of the poem.
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Very true Dwight. It’s a deep and profound thought
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This is an excellent observation, Dwight, truly inspired! Thank you!
Joanna
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This is very true Dwight and perfectly woven together. 👌👍👏😁 Life & history is full of ragged things woven and linked together.
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It does seem that way! Thank you very much, Ken.
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You’re very welcome sir! 🙏😁😊
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How interesting, Dwight. Thank you for the backstory on rag rugs and the beautiful woven poem.
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You are very welcome. It has always fascinated me.
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Loved your metaphor! My mother-in-law (God rest her blessed soul) used to make rag rugs. I have a special affection for them. ❤️👍🏽
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Thank you, Jan. They are very interesting to study, with all those different colors. She must have been a creative person like you!
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Oh Dwight. She was amazingly creative. Another of her hobbies was creating Fabregé (sp?) type decorated eggs. I should do a blog about them. What metaphor might they bring to mind?
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Memorable treasures indeed!
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Beautifully expressed – or shall I say woven?
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I try to weave them as inspiration brings them to mind! :>) Thank you so much!
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What an amazing poem and lesson Dwight. Life is full of bits and pieces of history that will propel us forward if we allow the lessons to sink in! 😎🌟🌞💖🥰 I don’t know of too many people who did not have a rug like this in their homes. I love the way you broke the message down my friend. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
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Thank you, Kym! I think my mom had two or three. After the great depression, nothing went to waste, paper bags, rubber bands, cans bottles, etc! I am glad you enjoyed my post.
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Oh you are so very welcome Dwight. Such memories remind us of not wasting a doggone thing. That’s why you are so crafty with your creations. Habitat for Humanity is like a candy store for you. You mind goes creatively ballistic! You are a Recycling King my friend. ♻♻♻ Bravo!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
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Thank you so much! I do enjoy working there, only I had to restrain myself early on from bringing all those treasures home with me! :>)
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I know what you mean Dwight. It can be somewhat contagious to grab all of those collectibles, especially when you are creative! LOL 😍😱🥰 I suppose Ruth put a cap on that mission eh? 😂
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Ha ha… how did you know!!
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Women’s intuition! LOL 🤣😆😂
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So beautiful to think that like those rags nothing goes to waste in the stories we tell to each other and the many-colored tapestry that gets woven in the process. It makes me think of how stitches dive under and up again and how that diving deep beneath brings up and out the beauty that then becomes visible to us. Thank you for this beautiful picture. Oh what a lesson there is in turning rags into treasure – beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😊.
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Thank you so much Anna for your comment. Yes, the weaving of pieces does make a fine tapestry! We can learn a lot from this.
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Dwight, beautiful photo! The poem speaks to me! ❤
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Thank you, Cheryl. This would apply to our own personal story as well.
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beautiful rug weaved with your poem rich in history. Love it Dwight! ❣️
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It is a great memory to draw on for this poem.
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It is so wonderful❣️
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Now this is a poem to be remembered through history
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Thank you so much, Luna.
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Your welcome Dwight
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I loved the back story (inspires me to do that with all my odd bits of material) and the metaphor, so true.
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Thank you, Morag!
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The idea of using rags this way has always intrigued me.
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Yes I think both from a creative point of view and environmental… It would be a fun way to up cycle cloth and rags
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Yes, sort of like piecing a quilt!
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Yes 😄
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Thank you!
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