Poem For A Lady Whose Voice I Like

Chitterlings are fried pig intestines. They are a traditional food that African Americans made out of the leftover parts of the pig that white, European-descended Americans thought were inferior pieces of meat. They are both a literal food and a symbol of how African American people turned poor conditions and limited resources into something special and desirable. The lady of the poem’s title uses chitterlings as an example of something good. Generally, it was women who prepared food because they ran the kitchens and used their ingenuity to create good-tasting food out of what was available. Chitterlings represent the creative power of women. The lady is focused on turning bad circumstances into enjoyable nourishment, while the man in the poem is putting her down.

The phrase “all that’s Black” (Line 5) has multiple meanings. The female speaker responds to the male speaker by saying that God made “all that’s Black” (Line 5), meaning that God made her too. This elevates her by the very fact of her being, but it also elevates other “Black” (Line 5) things like the night and elements of nature. This elevates Black people to the status of the elements and to the mystery of all creation, and it elevates the night and all black things to the status of people.