Pokes gently with sticks (5)
I believe the answer is:
prods
'pokes' is the definition.
('prod' can be a synonym of 'poke')
'gently with sticks' is the wordplay.
'gently' becomes 'p' (musical abbreviation for 'piano', softly).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'sticks' becomes 'rods' (I've seen this in another clue).
'p'+'rods'='PRODS'
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