Man With a Stick

Old man checks his rear view mirror, wispy hair, familiar eyes Journeys alone, unsure of the exit Straddling lanes his signals ignored Deaf to the horns, blind to the anger Stalled in the traffic of a fast moving world Man with a stick Man with a stick Long rod dipping fishing hollows, short sword slays the ranks of weeds Bat of ash on the edge of a diamond The kiss of willow before tumbling bails Rock n'roll snares Cheerleading batons, the pencil scratches on an empty page A pointer raps on a cloudy blackboard A cane taps time on an outstretched palm Learning the lessons Reciting the mantra that sparing the rod is spoiling the child Says a man with a stick Watch the man with the stick, the man with the stick And you force back the tears Stand in the corner listening to the sniggering of so called friends Hold the pain in a fist, stare back in defiance And vow to yourself that they won't hit you again Stifled your hate Channelled the anger, snuck in the system and bided your time You tightened your lip Accepted the beatings and they measured you up for a uniform You fitted the uniform Then they gave you a stick A Knobkerrie and a bloodied shillelagh In calloused hands take the lions down Pick axe hafts and hickory truncheons Cracking the skulls on the picket lines Bamboo staffs and sjambok switches Cudgels bludgeoning hearts and minds Clearing the streets of a burning township Scattering crowds from a city square Herding the queues of the weak and the hungry Testing the will of the few who dare face the man with the stick Man with a stick Man with a stick Watch the man with a stick You dealt out the blows following orders The questions were left for another time You held it inside Absolving your conscience laid all the blame on the 'powers that be' You gave them your all Got a watch and a bungalow, mothballed the uniform and faded away Lost all you loved, withered and vulnerable Abandoned your car at the side of the road At the end of the road, your fate unavoidable The son becomes the man The man with a stick, man with a stick Watch the man with a stick Watch the man with a stick Old man follows cracks in the pavements Leans weary at the end of days Unsteady, checking his balance shuffles along on his lonely trail A man with a stick A man with a stick Man with a stick Watch the man with a stick