Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marge Piercy’s poem "Out of the Rubbish" delves into themes of memory, resilience, and the humble beauty found in everyday life. Through the lens of her mother’s modest possessions, Piercy reflects on the creativity and resourcefulness of the working class, as well as the deeper, often hidden emotional landscapes of their lives.

The poem begins with the discovery of a small, handmade object among her mother’s belongings: "Among my mother's things I found a bottle-cap flower: the top from a ginger ale into which had been glued crystalline beads from a necklace surrounding a blue bauble." This simple creation, crafted from discarded items, serves as a poignant symbol of making do with what one has. It is not prized for its beauty but for the story it tells and the memories it evokes.

Piercy then explores the concept of "making do" within a working-class context: "A receding vista opens of workingclass making do: the dress that becomes a blouse that becomes a doll dress, potholders, rags to wash windows." This progression from one use to another highlights the ingenuity required to stretch limited resources. Each transformation is a testament to the resilience and practicality of those who must constantly adapt and repurpose.

The poem continues with vivid imagery that brings the reader into the heart of this resourceful world: "Petunias in the tire. / Remnants of old rugs laid down over the holes in rugs that had once been new when the remnants were first old." The use of petunias growing in a tire and layers of worn rugs illustrates a blend of necessity and creativity. These images evoke a sense of continuity and endurance, where even the most mundane objects are given new life.

Piercy’s reflection moves to a series of sentimental keepsakes: "A three-inch birch-bark canoe labeled Muskegon, little wooden shoes souvenirs of Holland, Mich., an ashtray from the Blue Hole, reputed bottomless." These items, though seemingly trivial, carry the weight of personal history and collective memory. They are tokens of places visited and experiences shared, each imbued with its own story.

The description of the environment shifts to a more somber tone: "Look out the window at the sulphur sky. / The street is grey as newspapers. Rats waddle up the alley. / The air is brown." These lines paint a bleak picture of the urban landscape, reflecting the harsh realities of living in a polluted, deteriorating city. The dreariness of the surroundings contrasts sharply with the efforts to bring color and cheerfulness into their lives: "If we make curtains of the rose-bedecked table cloth, the stain won't show and it will be cheerful, cheerful. Paint the wall lime. / Paint it turquoise, primrose."

The vibrant colors Piercy dreamed of in Detroit—"deep cobalt, of ochre reds, of cadmium yellow"—stand in stark contrast to the grey and brown hues of her reality. These colors represent a longing for beauty, escape, and transformation that remain unfulfilled.

The poem returns to the memory of her mother’s domestic rituals: "After she washed the floors she used to put down newspapers to keep them clean. When the newspapers had become dirty, the floor beneath was no longer clean." This cycle of cleaning and dirtying symbolizes the never-ending struggle to maintain order and cleanliness in an environment that continually challenges those efforts.

Piercy closes with a poignant reflection on her mother’s solitude and creativity: "One night alone she sat at her kitchen table gluing baubles in a cap. / When she had finished, pleased, she hid it away where no one could see." This final image of her mother, quietly crafting something beautiful and then hiding it away, speaks to the hidden depths of pride, creativity, and perhaps shame that characterized her life. The act of creating the bottle-cap flower, and then concealing it, encapsulates a lifetime of making do, of finding and creating beauty in small, secret ways.

"Out of the Rubbish" is a deeply moving exploration of memory, resilience, and the enduring spirit of creativity in the face of hardship. Piercy's vivid imagery and reflective tone bring to life the quiet dignity and unspoken stories of the working class, highlighting the profound significance of their everyday acts of resourcefulness and care.

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