The Stick

[Dan Flynn]

The Stick

Look down. You’ll find one by a trail if it’s from a gum tree. Or maybe you’re in luck and walking by a creek where the wind has blown so hard, it’s dropped a branch from a willow; perhaps a week ago. Take your time. It’s important. There’s no rush nor greater decision.

Make sure it snaps from the branch. Dead; but not drained of life’s juices. Bend it and check its tensile strength. If the bark crumbles away, but the stick doesn’t break, it’s a keeper. Take all that bark off so it gleams. Swish it through the air, slice and dice the universe and listen as your stick cuts it to pieces. Hold it under your arm ala Hitler or was it Himmler and goose step 50 paces whilst saluting like a Nazi. Feel the power in that stick. I know it can be frightening. Now brandish it. It’s a sword. You’re armed. You’ve been weaponized. They’re all around you, but they know nothing of your skill. Role to the ground cutting at the tendons of their ankles. Leap to your feet and on to that stump. Take the high ground. Command it. It’s yours. Find an ants’ nest and dig them out with all the mercy of a spider. Root them out and lay them to waste. When you see those little white things scattered from here to kingdom come, you can rest. They won’t be regrouping anytime soon. Take a walk. Trail your stick behind you so that it makes snake tracks in the gravel, raising red dust as the end sharpens. Now you really are dangerous. Prod your brother if he’s there and see what he makes of it. Get ready to run or fight; it’s up to you. You’ve got a stick. Or maybe your brother will grab that stick and break it off in your hand. Or maybe, and this is most likely, he’s got a stick of his own. So, feel the sting as it whips your legs. See the welts redden instantaneously on the back of your hand as you defend with your sword. It hurts. Try not to whimper. Pain has its place among the firmament. Don’t back down. Fight back. Give him what for on his legs. Don’t get angry. Don’t disgrace yourself; you started it. Don’t lose your love for him. Find your heart. Know yourself. That’s what sticks are for.

[zondrae]

morning Dan,


I did all this when I was 10. Now a stick has a more important place. (Poem to follow)

[Dan Flynn]

Now a stick has a more important place

Impossible!

Here's a beauty:

[zondrae]

The Stick
© Zondrae King (Corrimal) 06/07

I have a stick. A solid stick.
I keep it at my side.
I use it’s strength to hold the ground
in case my feet should slide.
I cut it from an apple tree
in Winters frosty nip.
I polished it with lots of love
to guard in case I slip.
It’s like my faithful husband dear,
dependable and strong.
If I’m in need of some support
I lean and can’t go wrong.

[manfredvijars]

This is by a mate, Jeremy Lee. Enjoy ...
 
Sticks

The Stick is the one of most useful things in the universe. It is a communications device, firelighter, weapon, testing instrument, ceremonial device, and is the only known way to control camels. If that wasn't enough it is available in some form almost everywhere, and can be easily customised to suit the individual needs of the owner or situation.

Indeed, most modern technologies can trace their development back through history to the common stick. Writing implements (pens, pencils, charcoal, burnt sticks), nuclear weapons (missiles, cannons, guns, crossbows, arrows, sticks), skyscrapers (buildings, houses, huts, thatching, the stick), and artificial intelligence (computers, calculators, the abacus, notched sticks) are all derivatives.

Sticks range in style from the Common Stick, which is essentially a piece of dead wood which has fallen off a tree, to the crocia, the staff borne by abbots and bishops of the Eastern Rite, generally made from cypress-wood, often cased or inlaid with gold or silver. Later on the staffs were made of solid ivory, gold, silver, and enameled metal.

Such embellished Sticks are regularly tried by people who attempt to combine them with other advanced tools such as telecommunications equipment, and survival gear. They almost always return to the Common Stick once they realize the fundamental reason for sticks: disposability.

The utility of this is underestimated. For example, you can poke a stick down a dark hole or murky pool, knowing that if something grabs the other end in an iron grip and begins inexorably to pull you down into the abysmal depths, you can just let go and run away. But this is only the case if you haven't combined the functionality of your stick with your credit card, identity papers, and car keys.

Sometimes, you just need devices which can do their job completely independently of others. In this regard, the simple wooden stick is still one of the most advanced tools in the modern arsenal.

Jeremy Lee aka Orinoco