You come across a set of stairs,
and you begin to recount the collective chorus
of instructions seemingly programmed into your system,
line by line,
step by step:
Identify the first step,
it may not identify you back,
but this is normal.
Lift foot; initiate
vertical movement
and repeat on
alternating limbs
until the pattern
feels sufficiently
second-nature.
Hand-rail optional
but recommended
for morale support.
It is not uncommon
for stair-operators
to experience
morale
or physical fatigue
and, on occasion,
believe
the stairs will
never, ever end.
This is false.
You do not think there are
any stairs which never end,
but will check.
No, accompanying research
interface Google
and its omniscient
AI Overview assure me
that stairs which never end
do not exist
in our physical reality,
but one could reference
the Penrose Stairs illusion,
which presents a perspective
causing a set of stairs
to appear to loop infinitely.
Should you come across this
in our physical reality,
do not panic.
It appears as though one could
simply walk or jump off the stairs
to avoid being trapped
in an endless Sisyphean task.
Some stairs are longer (taller?)
than others, with more steps.
Steps is another word
for stairs, but you take
a step when you walk on stairs,
but you do not take a stair
when you walk on steps.
They are, most often,
intended for the purpose
of traversing levels
in a building or area.
Do not send emails
or letters proposing that
this definition for stairs
is too nebulous.
That’s most of the core
mechanics of the stairs
out of the way.
Is there more?
Yes.
As you can see,
You have written more
Words to expand
on these ones, descending
And ascending.
Think of this as the first
step, in a two-step
set of stairs.
Here is the second step
You were just talking about.
Step numbers range from two
to two-hundred,
but nobody can ever be bothered
to climb those on the higher end
of the scale, so who cares.
Public or shared stairways
are prime real estate
for anti-social behaviour
such as public urination
to spite local authority
toilet closures.
Footwear should be considered
when operating or interfacing
with stairs in any capacity,
due to their tendency
for violence.
In 2019, a study published
by Lapeyre Stair recorded
2521 deaths in the USA
from falls on or from stairs.
An extraordinary coincidence,
given that stairs
are involved
in each of these
fatal incidents.
There are stairs which move
by technical, mechanical
or magical means
(such as escalators),
but you are not qualified
to speak on them
with the same authority
you have here.
Remember:
one step at a time.
If each line,
rather than paragraph,
is considered a step –
you have just climbed
like a hundred step-staircase.
Incredible. Woah – CAREFUL!