The Cod's Challenge Poem by Vinaya Joseph

In the kitchen's quiet, early light,
Lies the cod, a fisher's hard-won delight,
But as I stand with knife in hand,
I see the task that waits, so grand.

Scales that glitter like stubborn stars,
Hold tight, resist with unseen bars,
A dance begins with scraping sound,
As silvery flecks fall to the ground.

The cod's sleek form, so firm, so bold,
With secrets in its flesh to unfold,
Yet here I am, with patience thin,
Struggling to peel the armor within.

The skin clings close, defiant and tough,
My fingers wrestle, the going is rough,
A tug, a tear, a careful slice,
This cod demands a butcher's precise.

Guts and gore, a messy plight,
An odorous challenge in the morning light,
Bones like needles, hidden and keen,
Catch unwary hands in between.

Yet through the struggle, a promise gleams,
Of succulent meat and culinary dreams,
For those who toil and sweat and strive,
The cod's sweet bounty springs alive.

So here's to the cooks, with determined gaze,
Who tackle the cod through arduous phase,
For in the end, the feast is worth the fray,
A reward for the trials of the cleaning day.