“The Peaceful Cuisine of Ryoya Takeshima,” by Cecile Marcato (Poetry ’19)

“The Peaceful Cuisine of Ryoya Takeshima,” by poetry alum Cecile Marcato, recently appeared in Husk. Read an excerpt below:

The Peaceful Cuisine of Ryoya Takeshima

Music accompanies the cook,
a nearly tuneless tune without words.
He is blooming spices, grating
garlic; he is making
noodles with soy flour,
water, salt
skipping some small steps
(or performing them off camera).
Slicing lotus root,
spinach, tiny mushrooms
(button and enoki)
with a variegated blade
(Damascus-style, a miniature sword).
With miso he is making a vegan broth.

 

Read the rest of this poem here: https://huskzine.com/issues/husk-1-1/the-peaceful-cuisine-of-ryoya-takeshima/