Stick Poems

walking stick

The walking stick and Elon Musk

I was a galley-boy on an old tankship 
that docked in Liverpool for repair 
I think it was in May, and I was sixteen 
at a second-hand shop, near the docks
I bought a walking stick and happily used it
the stick going ashore to the pub or 
to buy fish and chips, unaware of how odd
I must have looked, no one said a word
Coming back on board, it was the second
The officer who said I looked ridiculous, no one
uses walking sticks anymore, you are not
a ing lord
Enter, into my self-contained world, what
other people thought of me
I became self-conscious, and it worried me 
What did other people think of me personally
His words brought on a shyness that stopped
My plans for the future
Who knows, I might have become the first
Elon Musk
He has freed himself of what other people
think, or so we believe, but deep down, he
likes to be loved

if you wake up with a stick

if you wake up with a stick in your bed you have a dog
if the stick is chewed into eighteen pieces you have a puppy
if there is no stick you either do not have a dog
or your husband has pica

Stick to the Facts, Mr President

    Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago
        Stick to the facts, President Trump

     If you don’t, Americans will abandon you
        And lower you into the garbage dump

Stick Figures in Front of Oldsmobile

Skinny kids
Wrinkled clothes
Crooked windows
Non-symmetrical
Snowman slightly off center
The “Olds”
Wrinkled fenders
A round-headed driver
A teetering toboggan
Hanging from its roof

The artists
Sipping hot cocoa

The Ink Stick

The Ink Stick

. for public domain

Rubbing ink calms the mind
so hairs may glide,
to bequeath
long lasting lines.

stick figures

(a poem in Haiku and Senryu)

Draw a stick figure
future - sadly diminished
and chaos ransomed.

Paint the landscape
with the sweltering glare
of global warming.

Add micro-plastic
and forever chemical
flavorings to taste.

Come share this
with me - let kisses heal and
soft whispers inflame.

Some locks need two keys
to open, some heavens can
be reached by mortals.
.
.
A song for this:
All Gone Away by The Style Council

carrot and stick

blood sweat and tears leave 
no stone unturned move heaven 
and earth pull your weight

go to great lengths make 
a supreme effort bust a 
gut and go all out

give it everything 
you’ve got burning desire 
step up to the plate

fire in the belly
spur on drive someone get the 
ball rolling take pains

take the bull by the 
horns jump on the bandwagon
and pull your socks up

eager beaver stay 
the course give it your all throw 
yourself into it

keep your eye on the 
prize light a fire underneath and 
pull out all the stops

roll up your sleeves bite 
the bullet and pushing the 
envelope spur on

The Life and Times of a Stick of Chewing Gum

    A burst of flavor secreted
                               ~ within five minutes deleted

A String, A Stick, A Stone

     a morsel of this
       a crumb of that
     a string, a stick, a stone
       
     a robin scours around
       the nearby ground ~
     discards make her nest a home

Walk softly Ode to my walking stick

Loyal companion carved from a sturdy oak.
This eternal gratitude will never be revoked.
You've been there for me more then
some human folk.
I think I may be in love with you and that is no joke.
Please stay by my side until the day I croak,
if perchance we come upon a very nasty bloke,
I will turn you upside down and give him a poke!

You Hope They Stick

When plans are made, you hope they stick,
That no one will be getting sick,
Because for every date you pick,
A better one is waiting.

The weather might be filled with rain
Or someone could be stuck with pain,
But if you’ve planned, at least you gain
No more anticipating.

There never is a perfect time
When factors - family, health and clime -
Create conditions so sublime
There’ll be no hesitating.

Slap stick comedy Laurel and Hardy-dodo

whimpering sniveling pout
mopey face bo ohwe-ohwe whine
scratching his head mopey face
I was here with me

please stick to the story

Please stay on track Dad, the young mother said.
She wanted him to stick with the story others had read.
As soon as she was out of sight her twins pleaded with him.
Tell us the story of how they bashed and hanged Uncle Jim.

I heard that! Their mother said, now leave your grandpa alone.
So he got real quiet, and told them not to share when they got home.
He told them the story of a rat snake who ate children, dogs and lamps.
They were so frightened, they could not sleep, glad he was their gramps!

Stick Out Our Neck

Don’t forget
We have a neck
To stick out
From time to time

It’s an asset
Though not high tech
Yet it shows
We have a spine

We have to shout
Get the gist out
As a poet
Words are our way

There’s no doubt
We’ll find the clout
And show it
With what we say

To expose wrongs
Some write apt songs
To keep powers 
In check, and

Poets stay strong
Just as long
They’re willing to
Stick out their neck

Sticky Glue Stick

Sticky Glue Stick

An SLR camera shutter clicks
shut, sticks then opens: at a
designated shutter speed.
The subject is caught and the 
camera’s quick: like a frog
unfurling its tongue to snag
a wary fly, with its sticky tongue.
The subject is not:
sensational or outrageous
-not sticky eye candy,
not the addictive modern fare,
not titillating,
not irresistible.
Tight knit.
A “modern family” unit sits
close, huddled in transparent
body lingo-
revealing hints, though open to translation.
Wait longer than usual to process,
then 
stick pics with glue sticks 
to photo album pages.
Arrange them across and
down like inked in crossword 
puzzle solutions
-diptychs, triptychs, family trips etc.  
chronologies mark lifespan
arcs.
Baby pics, the grandparents,
the unsuspecting…
Fill to the end.
Close the album.
Shut. Then revisit,
with more pics,
and stick them inside.

• Short Stick Poems
• Famous Stick Poems
• Best Stick Poems
• Read Stick Poems
• Long Stick Poems
• Stick Quotes