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.