knot by Liz Spain
words by Mike Selinker
illustration by Aviv Or
Attend, my child, for some terrors cannot be stopped. They perch high out of reach of even the mightiest bow. Call for aid with the Crow’s Loop, a knot that seems simple and weak, but hides a devious trap.
Begin with length enough to circle your head once. Look up whilst you measure. Be wary of winged things that may be gazing down.
Find the center of the cord and bend gently to give it wings.
Twist the bend right over left to form a nest. Our crow is perched on top, do you see? Wings extended right and left there are.
And now we set our trap. Take hold of the right wing and bend it over the left. Not too far, mind. The right wing, unsuspecting, must return to its side.
Grasp the left wing. Like all left-handed plans, this is the more sinister. Bend the left wing down to the nest, careful not to disturb the right wing or the nest.
The left wing swoops down through the nest and alights through the trap to reach for the sky. A-ha! Almost have it!
Hold the nest steady while the wings try to fly. Tighter! Tighter! It can’t get away.
What’s this? The crow holds to its circle of nest, bound close.
But we yet need luck to hold it there until help arrives. Flip the knot over, a 4-leaf clover.
