The Poets' Strike

[Bob Pacey]

What ya talking about ? Eliza.

Bob

[worddancer]

Hi Bob,

Check the Macquarie Dictionary
definition Strike
/struyk/ verb, struck, struck or, especially for defs. 25-28, stricken, striking.
verb (t)
1. to deliver a blow, stroke, or thrust with (the hand, a weapon, etc.): she struck the dagger into his chest.
2. to deal a blow or stroke to (a person or thing), as with the fist, a weapon, or a hammer; hit.
3. to deal or inflict (a blow, stroke, etc.).
4. to drive or thrust forcibly: to strike the hands together.
5. to produce (fire, sparks, light, etc.) by percussion, friction, etc.
6. to cause (a match) to ignite by friction.
7. to smite or blast with some natural or supernatural agency: struck by lightning.
8. to come into forcible contact or collision with: the ship struck a rock.
9. to fall upon (something), as light or sound.
10. to enter the mind of; occur to: a happy thought struck him.
11. to catch or arrest (the eyes, etc.): the first object that strikes one's sight.
12. to impress strongly: a picture which strikes one's fancy.
13. to impress in a particular manner: how does it strike you?
14. to come across, meet with, or encounter suddenly or unexpectedly: to strike the name of a friend in a newspaper.
15. to come upon or find (ore, oil, etc.) in prospecting, boring, or the like.
16. to send down or put forth (a root, etc.), as a plant, cutting, etc.
17. to remove from the stage (the scenery and properties of an act or scene).
18. Building Trades to remove formwork from (concrete, etc.) after it has gained its initial set.
19. Nautical
a. to lower or take down (a sail, mast, etc.).
b. to lower (a sail, flag, etc.) as a salute or as a sign of surrender.
c. to lower into the hold of a vessel by means of a rope and tackle.
20. to harpoon, spear, as in hunting.
21. (in various technical uses) to make level or smooth.
22. to stamp (a coin, medal, etc.) or impress (a device), by a stroke.
23. Rowing to make (a specified number of strokes) in a given time: the blues struck forty in the first minute.
24. to indicate (the hour of day) by a stroke or strokes, as a clock: to strike twelve.
25. to afflict suddenly, as with disease, suffering, or death.
26. to affect deeply or overwhelm, as with terror, fear, etc.
27. to render (blind, dumb, etc.) suddenly, as if by a blow.
28. to cause (a feeling) to enter suddenly: to strike terror into a person.
29. to induce a favourable reaction in: he was struck by her beauty.
30. to start suddenly into (vigorous movement): the horse struck a gallop.
31. to assume (an attitude or posture).
32. to cause (chill, warmth, etc.) to pass or penetrate quickly.
33. to come upon or reach in travelling or in a course of procedure.
34. to make, conclude, or ratify (an agreement, treaty, etc.).
35. to reach by agreement, as a compromise: to strike a rate of payment.
36. to estimate or determine (a mean or average).
37. to break (camp).
verb (i)
38. to deal or aim a blow or stroke, as with the fist, a weapon, or a hammer; make an attack.
39. to knock, rap, or tap.
40. to hit or dash on or against something, as a moving body; come into forcible contact.
41. to run upon a bank, rock, or other obstacle, as a ship.
42. to make an impression on the mind, senses, etc., as something seen or heard.
43. to sound by percussion: the clock strikes.
44. to be indicated by such sounding: the hour has struck.
45. to be ignited by friction, as a match.
46. to make a stroke, as with the arms or legs in swimming or with an oar in rowing.
47. to produce a sound, music, etc., by touching a string or playing upon an instrument.
48. to take root, as a slip of a plant.
49. to go, proceed, or advance, especially in a new direction.
50. (of an employee or employees) to engage in a strike (def. 53).
51. Nautical
a. to lower the flag or colours, especially as a salute or as a sign of surrender.
b. to run up the white flag of surrender.
noun
52. an act of striking.
53. a concerted stopping of work or withdrawal of workers' services in order to compel an employer to accede to demands or in protest against terms or conditions imposed by an employer.
54. Baseball an unsuccessful attempt on the part of the batter to hit a pitched ball, or anything ruled to be equivalent to this.
55. Cricket the obligation to face the bowling.
56. Tenpin Bowling
a. the knocking down of all the pins with the first bowl.
b. the score made by bowling a strike.
57. Geology
a. the direction of the line formed by the intersection of the bedding plane of a bed or stratum of sedimentary rock with a horizontal plane.
b. the direction or trend of a structural feature, as an anticlinal axis or the lineation resulting from metamorphism.
58. the discovery of a rich vein of ore in mining, of oil in drilling, etc.
phrase
59. in (or on) strike, Cricket at the striker's end of the pitch.
60. on strike, (of an employee or employees) engaged in a strike (def. 53).
61. strike a light, (an expression of surprise, indignation, etc.).
62. strike me lucky (or pink) (or blue) (or dead) (or handsome), (an exclamation of surprise, indignation, etc.).
63. strike off,
a. to forbid (someone) to continue practising a profession because of unprofessional conduct, or the like: the doctor was struck off for advertising.
b. to remove or separate with a cut.
64. strike on, to come on suddenly or unexpectedly: to strike on a new way of doing a thing.
65. strike on (or upon), to fall on or reach, as light or sound.
66. strike out,
a. to direct one's course boldly.
b. Baseball (of a batter) to make three strikes and be declared out.
67. strike out (or off), to efface or cancel with, or as with, the stroke of a pen.
68. strike up,
a. (of an orchestra or band) to begin to play.
b. to enter upon or form (an acquaintance, etc.).
[ME, from OE strican]

OK Bob
I know, a bit over the top...

Eliza

[Maureen K Clifford]

You just had to ask Bob didn't you

[worddancer]

[Stephen Whiteside]

I just posted this in the wrong place. This is where it should be.

I'm attempting to write a humorous one.

The call went out wide.
"It's a matter of pride.
From the east to the west of Australia;
From the north to the south
We will halt pen and mouth
To try to atone for the failure

"Of sheilas and blokes,
Teetotals and soaks,
To grant us our due recognition.
It couldn't be worse.
We're writers of verse,
But in an uncomfy position.

"We just love to write,
By day or by night.
We reckon we churn out great stuff.
Alas, by and large,
Your average Marge
Or Henry regard it as guff,

"Or don't think at all
Of our delicate scrawl
Which seems, on reflection, much worse.
It's thus not a shock
That they choose not to flock
To our readings, and fail to imburse

"Us all for our pain.
So we're feeling the strain,
Developing blisters and boils.
We'll go out on strike.
We'll see how they like
It when we desist from our toils."

Then a voice from the heat,
A wet. sticky bleat.
"What's wrong with you fellas down south?
We've crowds ev'ry day.
They flock to our play,
And hang off the pearls from our mouth.

"We won't go on strike.
You can shout all you like.
We've struck on a blue ribbon lurk.
We're happy as pigs
In deep mud. You prigs,
Stop squealin', and just make it work!"

So national action
Was still born as faction
Faced faction at one million paces.
The poets down south
Remained down in the mouth,
While the northeners held all the aces.

Perhaps it's the cold
That explains our poor hold.
Maybe it's the jostle of cultures.
Some gaze at the sky
And see eagles fly by,
But I see the circling of vultures.

(Didn't manage to inject much humour into it, did I! Maybe I'll have more luck next time!)

[Bob Pacey]

Holy snappin duck dropping Batman.

You coulda just said look it up yourself Bob.


Do I sense a little bit of fustration in there Eliza ????


I'm a good shoulder to cry on .


Bob

[Neville Briggs]

You're game Stephen, I wouldn't try, I think the subject is too hard.

[worddancer]

Good evening Bob.
The purpose in life is to have fun.
After you grasp that everything else seems insignificant !!!
I was just having a bit of fun, Bob

Eliza

[Bob Pacey]

That you did Eliza that you did. !!!





Sounded like you were cracking a darkie there for a minute.

But a few of those little

Make it alright.


Robert

[Zondrae]

Hey you blokes,

I look away for a moment or two and you run ahead for two more pages.

I think Stephen has a brilliant suggestion. We should pull a reverse strike and bombard the media with poetry. We should group together in the centre of our respective towns, and march down the street, reciting some of the standards as we go. We should stop traffic on the highways with slogans written in verse and fill the letter boxes of our local members of the respective parliaments with partitions (also written in rhyming verse) to bring attention to our problems.

Now who will write a list of our laments. Can we keep it down to the five main points?

I will start the ball rolling by getting up at the local RSL and reciting a poem (or two) tomorrow night.
(tee hee, I am booked to open the monthly Illawarra Folk Club concert anyway)