April 20, 2005

Draft 2 — Icepick Grip

By Tony Brown

1.
It is called “the icepick grip”
because the blade projects
downward from the hand
as though you were
chipping ice.

Using this one may stab
and slash, for it is better
suited to slashing than it would
at first appear. The opponent
will not see the blade
slashing up the gut and heart,
only to reverse direction
at the end of the stroke,
and stab into the neck.

2.
If you were to ask me,
I would have to say
that I am best known
for my lack
of follow through.

3.
Using the icepick grip,
one may conceal the direction
of an attack far more successfully
than with the more conventional
“sword grip” in which the blade
projects forward from the fist.

The art of attacking is best practiced
while facing a mirror,
and best perfected with
a partner.

4.
When I come home at night it’s like
no one is here. I feed the cats
and stare for hours at crime shows where the outcome
turns on the wear patterns of old jeans
or a genetic fingerprint culled from the saliva
found on a shattered tumbler.

5.
A primary weapon
should be double edged and long enough
to strike through to vital organs.
A second blade may be used as a backup
or, in the off-hand, as a defensive tool,
although in defense one may find an opportunity
for a lethal blow.

Note well that drawing a second blade
is not advisable for those unschooled in its use.
It is best to hold it in reserve against the possibility
of losing the first blade.

6.
Steady, boy, I tell myself,
fumbling in my pocket.
I’m all alone again, it’s spring,
and the only ice
left anywhere
is in my fourth drink.

7.
Folklore tells us
that we shake hands
as a vestige of the days
when all carried weapons;
it was done to ensure that the other
was not concealing anything
dangerous.

8.
I’d never hurt anyone
else deliberately.

I carry with me the pretense
that this is how I defend myself.

Attacks are best practiced
before a mirror;

I practice more
than I let on.

About Tony Brown

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A poet with a history in slam, lots of publications; my personal poetry and a little bit of daily life and opinions. Read the page called "About..." for the details. View all posts by Tony Brown
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