In weaving, the warp consists of the threads held lengthwise on a loom, while the woof passes across them from side to side. Together, warp and woof form the fabric’s complete structure. Poets may use “warp and woof” literally to describe textile-making or metaphorically to describe the elements woven into a life, history, society, or work of art. Because cloth has often been associated with labor and trade, the term can also carry social and ethical meanings.

Related terms: Warp is the lengthwise set of threads on a loom; woof or weft is the crosswise thread woven through it. Figurative use: The phrase “warp and woof” often means the essential, interwoven parts of a larger whole—for example, “memory is part of the warp and woof of the poem.” Spelling and usage: “Woof” is an older and less common term than “weft” in modern textile vocabulary, but it remains familiar in the phrase “warp and woof.” Do not confuse: In other contexts, “woof” can imitate a dog’s bark. In Harper’s poem, however, it is strictly a weaving term. Historical context: Harper’s use of textile language draws attention to the nineteenth-century connection between cotton, clothing, and slavery in the United States.