There is a certain creative freedom when it comes to writing. I am aware that the word “nobbly” is not strictly a word. However, when I saw this picture, the words “nobbly chopsticks” came into my head, with that spelling too. The word means something that is bent or horribly contorted, as you will see.
copyright John Nixon
Nobbly Chopsticks
“Nobbly chopsticks are a way of life!” the teacher shouted. The students were seated in the cafeteria, each with a pair of chopsticks as straight as a question mark after an earthquake. “You make the most of what you’ve been given. If Life gives you one leg, you make do! If Life gives you nobbly chopsticks . . . ?”
“You make do,” the students echoed. They started eating, or attempted to. Only one in five could even grasp the noodles at all.
The teacher spied one boy holding the bowl, slurping the broth. “Hey you! What are you doing?”
“Life gave me hands . . .”
The Green-Walled Tower 