Lucille Clifton, "cutting greens"

Collard greens and kale are typical African cuisine, because greens grow very well in the region. The speaker is washing and cutting the greens. She mentions how the pot is black and the cutting board is black and then draws a comparison to her hands, which are also presumably black. The speaker states that for a minute the greens "roll black under the knife" and she tastes her "natural appetite" and feels the bond of "live things everywhere." The connection she feels while preparing these greens shows the connection between her and her ancestors, who also ate greens. She feels connected to her heritage and to all living things by this simple act of cutting greens.