A gathering of stones,of mortar and affection:warmed by April sun,a drift of fragrance–cow’s breath and old hay,ripe cheese, pale grasses,the lightest scent of blossomand the lingerance of snow,and second breakfast hearth-smoke… Distant crows wheeling, crying, cawing,coarsely calling admirationof the new-turned turf,of turning season,of turning, turning, turningin the sky above the oaks… The distant touch of …
Tag Archives: Tolkien
THE GUEST OF HONOR
Old Bilbo Baggins is eleventy-one! For a hobbit, indeed a respectible age. Though he loves to sit out with his pipe in the sun He acts like a lad in his tweens, not a sage! For a hobbit, indeed a respectible age He’s well on his way now to match the Old Took! He acts …
Tolkien Tribute: “Speak, Friend and Enter”
Several years ago, I spent a lot of time on a Tolkien-based website that ran writing competitions. This was a dialogue Challenge with these parameters: Characters: A dwarf and an elf Setting: The West-gate of Moria. Theme: Speak, Friend, and Enter I set myself the added challenge to write the entire piece as dialogue, showing the …
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Tolkien Tribute: The Bells of Dale
’Twas spring again in the Northern Landsand larks sang bright and clear,yet sorrow lay on the folk of Daleand little they knew of cheer. The daughter of Girion, Lord of Dale,lay sad under winter’s gloom–Like enough, all said, ere long,she’d lie winter-cold in her tomb. In deep despond young Giriel layand nothing could stir her willfor …
Tolkien Tribute: SMAUG
Flame surging in my belly, I cry out,and leap into the clouds, exulting:Wings, vast, they span the star-bright heavens! I sail through the night, tempest roaring a storm of mighty rage, a-soaring–Flame surging in my belly, I cry out! In all of the world, there is no othermagnificent as I! I bellow powerand leap into the clouds, …
Tolkien Tribute: Queen Beruthial’s Cats
A shade in the shadowlurking;A purr in the darknesssmirking;Softness against a bare legleaning;One with shadow againleaving… Fire of green in the nightgleaming;Flame of gold in the duskseemingageless and cannybeyond scheming;Cats of Beruthiel smile,dreaming… These cats are spoken of only once, a mention made by Aragorn in an off-hand way… an idiomatic reference: “He is surer …
Tolkien Tribute: The Rangers
1–LURKERSStorm and ice howling through the winter passes…The bellies of the scudding clouds, glowing dull and fitful,reflecting back the desperate firelightfrom which all warmth is blasted by the winds…Alone is better, the huddled traveler thinks,Than the company he knows is lurking in these peaks…And he shivers only partly from the cold… 2–BROTHERSBrisk chill breeze of …
Tolkien Tribute: Gimli in Valinor
a monologue addressed to his axe Was a time I thoughtI could not get my boots soon enoughonto good firm rock again…And yet,here I sit,upon a kegonce full of Middle Earth’s best ale,with ye, my trusty Axe,leaning here against my knee–choosing the gentle rocking of a deck,over the fair and solid land I seeshining just …
Tolkien Tribute: Blue Istar
So many ages he’s wandered, so many roads his footprints mark,in lands of many men and few, of hottest sun and deepest dark,He seldom speaks a word aloud, gives no greeting nor farewell,sings not, nor prays in any language any living soul can tell… Midnight-indigo, his old cloak is bound around him tight,a shadow in …
Tolkien Tribute: Dark Path
Darkness Thick, engulfing… Full of hunger, full of eyes… Terror Creeping near Among the tangle of the trees… Hunger Haunting, lurking Reaching from the midnight mirk… One pathway Safe-enchanted… Such a pity that you strayed…
LOOSELY SPEAKING... 