High Carbon Chrome

March 5 2020

One good chef's knife

is all you really need.

A well-balanced instrument

with substance and heft.

A well-honed blade

of high-grade steel

that keeps its lethal edge.

And a generous handle

that's securely attached

and has a firm comfortable grip,

stable, but deft.

Then strop it razor sharp

and put it to the test.

On ripe tomatoes

halved, quartered, diced,

chopping veg

deboning meat

carving fine even slices.

Slipped beneath the mattress

when you go to bed each night.

Dangled overhead

sharp end pointing downward;

a constant reminder

of the dangerous world out there.

Safety first

so learn to use it well.

Protect yourself

so make sure no one tells.

And never forget

to keep your friends close

and your enemies closer.

And when it's all over

dry thoroughly,

to prevent rust

remove blood

eliminate the evidence.

Then, when you're done

set it back in its slot

in its sturdy wooden block,

securely ensconced

and safely sheathed.

At the back of the counter

out of reach of children.

Because one good chef's knife

is really all you need.

I'm not sure -- yet -- if this poem works. But I think it does. Kind of subversive. Sneaks up on you, says some shocking stuff, then matter-of-factly returns to its banal earnest recitation of the obvious.