Things on sticks

Some people seem to take a fair amount of trouble to attach things to sticks and carry them around when they're out and about. I've just seen a grimy looking tramp striding purposefully past Tesco's with a doll's head on a stick held out in front of him at arms length, like a talisman, or a trophy. The doll's head coordinated nicely with his own appearance, as both had long matted hair and grubby faces, but it seemed a strange possession for someone who lives rough. It gave him the appearance of a slightly deranged voodoo-satanic plastic doll worshipper.

I've seen another man on the bus a few times who looks like a witchdoctor, swathed in African fabrics and accessorised with bits of animal fur. He carries a long stick that he periodically taps on the floor of the bus, annoying the driver. He mutters to himself continuously, which is slightly unnerving, apart from a strange touch of domesticity in the form of a new wooden spoon tied to the end of the stick. That changes the effect slightly. My brother had his fortune told by a witchdoctor years ago when we lived abroad, but I think he had animal bones and a spear head attached to his stick, not an English wooden cooking utensil.

I'm sure these objects have got some significance for their owners. I know it's their whole appearance and the muttering as well, but carrying odd things on sticks certainly helps to clear their path on crowded buses and pavements. Everyone gets out of their way fairly rapidly. People scatter. Maybe something to bear in mind during the rush hour...