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I contain a tin ion

And you cannot find me in a crayon

But don't worry little peon

You can find me in a swan

You can find me in a heron

You can even find me in a fawn

You need me to move

Without me you will just be like a puddle of goo

You should not let me touch others like me

I promise you, I'm worse than an angry bee

Beware my wrath,

It's worse than an icy cold bath

But on the upside - I can help you do math!

To get your answer accepted you need to get the word and explain what most of the lines/groups of lines refer to

Hint #1:

The pain the fourth stanza talks about happens mostly to older people

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  • $\begingroup$ Is a hint needed? $\endgroup$
    – suomynonA
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 3:47
  • $\begingroup$ i'm not able to think of anything that fits more than two stanzas, so ... yes? :) $\endgroup$
    – Rubio ♦
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 4:00
  • $\begingroup$ @Rubio Added a hint, I'm trying not to give too much away at a time though=) $\endgroup$
    – suomynonA
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 4:12
  • $\begingroup$ is it calcium ? $\endgroup$
    – WeShall
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 4:27
  • $\begingroup$ No; I'll reveal a pretty big hint before I sleep though $\endgroup$
    – suomynonA
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 4:28

1 Answer 1

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Are you ...

A bone

I contain a tin ion

Bones contain some trace measure of tin, and possibly stannous flouride, from some random articles a little Googling found me.

And you cannot find me in a crayon

well, no - crayons have no bones.

But don't worry little peon
You can find me in a swan
You can find me in a heron
You can even find me in a fawn

... all of which have bones.

You need me to move
Without me you will just be like a puddle of goo

Muscles provide movement by pulling against bones (in humans, mammals, etc)., and without a skeleton we would not have the essential structure and shape of our bodies.

You should not let me touch others like me
I promise you, I'm worse than an angry bee

Wearing away of cartilage in joints, such that bones rub against each other, is a cause of great pain (arthritis, back pain, etc.), most notably in older persons as per the hint.

Beware my wrath,
It's worse than an icy cold bath

breaking a bone leaves it first very numb, and then in great pain?

But on the upside - I can help you do math!

Um... a stretch here, but two possibilities come to my mind:
1. you can count on your fingers, which owe their shape to their slender bones, or
2. more likely, dice ("bones") get used frequently in statistics / probability.

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  • $\begingroup$ Yes, you got it! Well done $\endgroup$
    – suomynonA
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 4:46
  • $\begingroup$ I guessed it before the hint, but wasn't confident enough in my guess before the hint made it all but certain. curious what you actually had in mind for that last line :) $\endgroup$
    – Rubio ♦
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 4:49
  • $\begingroup$ Your #2 possibility for the last line was correct=) $\endgroup$
    – suomynonA
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 4:51

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