written_leaves: (writing)
They may turn their eyes upon you,
And blaze down upon your
Unprotected
heart.


I don't quite know how to describe what this means - the emotive image was an overlap between Sam's star he sought in the skies of Mordor, and the aversion such purity of light that came to Smeagol over the years, along with the pure starlight of the phial that shone to protect them from darkness. Weave it together and starlight both purifies and wounds:

Starlit Scars
Do not deal lightly with the stars )
-

The Havens

Dec. 22nd, 2009 10:10 pm
written_leaves: (writing)
Weep
For those seeking the Havens,
For the land will be barren of much that was fair.


Another 'musical' one, this time for the Grey Havens and if I were a writer of music I would perhaps place it to an Irish tune with a lilt for the sea.

The Havens
There’s a waiting ship )
-
written_leaves: (writing)
I will never leave you, dearest;
We will share the warm Winter of our years.
The sea will wait amid its grey mists
Long after your gentle light has been drawn away.


Sam, watching his beloved Rosie fading with age.

Fading Rose
My fading Rose with petals white where once you bloomed in gold and blush )
-
written_leaves: (writing)
My time with you seems now an
Unreachable glory of the past,
A work of minstrels and mages.


Two more for Sam, left behind to make his life with his family and not without memories of his own.

A Rose for the Master
I hope wherever he's gone to now, There are roses in the spring )
-
I Have Held
I have held this hour in my hands )
-
written_leaves: (bilbo)
There's a ship going forth from the Havens,
And upon her that one light shone


For the Bay of the Blessed and the ships finally turning their faces towards Home.
This has been nominated in the MEFA awards for 2009.

With it I'm placing a short verse for Gandalf's role and his guidance even towards the Havens.

The Way Home
There were ships going forth from the Havens )
-
Grey
A way to a home I've never seen )
written_leaves: (writing)
He said I was meant to be whole,
And that wholeness surrounds me;
I must find a way to soak it into my heart.


And finally - "I'm back"....

This brings the 'story' to its ending for my poetry listings that follow the events of the books in order, but there are a handful more to follow, some observations, thoughts and bits from the appendices.

Back Home
Entering, I gather her in )
-
written_leaves: (writing)
The Shire has flowered after the war.
Like waking from a dream...
Coming back to what is familiar


The shock of peacetime after the shock of war, how can the pieces of the old life be picked up again?

Falling Asleep Again
Coming home in a windswept night )
-

Sam's Box

Dec. 22nd, 2009 05:56 pm
written_leaves: (illumination)
Plant it carefully, Sam

What better symbol of healing, and what finer gift? A piece for Sam's bit of earth entrusted to him, better than any gold.

Sam's Box
Entrusted to your gardener’s heart )
-
written_leaves: (writing)
So easy to intimidate, so simple to control.
What will you do
When one of them grows greater?


Words spoken by both Gandalf and Saruman of what Frodo had become - a look at the Scouring of the Shire and the 'show down' that was not what Sharkey expected.

You have Grown
I would have him find his healing )
written_leaves: (writing)
Behold the ruin, the ravaged Shire,
The trees are felled and burned with fire


Two for the ravaged Shire - what a terrible loss, and what a terrible, vengeful blow they found upon their homecoming. Merry 'should have stuffed that pouch down his throat' as he said.

Scouring
Alas for the shade and the loam )
-
The Party Tree
Eyes that had faced down great evil unflinching now burst into tears )
-
written_leaves: (bilbo)
Nodding in his carven chair
Among his cushions and shawls he sits


The Travellers return to Rivendell at last, and their beloved, aged Bilbo awaits them by his fire ready to hear all about their Adventure... assuming he can stay awake.

Nodding by the Fire
Hands like wisps of parchment )
-

Cormallen

Dec. 21st, 2009 10:14 am
written_leaves: (illumination)
Glory and Trumpets!

For anyone who has been reading through the dark and angsty war-torn poetry set, you would be well excused to forget there could be lighter topics - at last, the 'happy ending' (at least before the sad ending) is begun. Cormallen is from Sam's point of view with an aim of capturing that blend of poetic and simple country that so characterized his turns of phrase.

Cormallen
What joy is this that awakens my sight? )
-
written_leaves: (illumination)
You’re the one
Who must be strong,
Your heart must beat and strive for two;
In the depths of deepest need
Death cannot reach
The Shire’s life yet green in you.


One more for Sam at Sammath Naur - because darn it, he's that amazing. This is written in a pattern with a refrain, and if I were a musical person would be one of a handful I would probably try to write a tune for.

Steadfast
With steadfast heart you stand by me )
-
written_leaves: (writing)
I pity you, that your hopes yet live;
I am sorry that I must see
Them die.


Of the two lives left on that mountain, only one of them was ready to live - and really, he was the only reason for the other to even bother with drawing another breath.

Not Remembering
It is better this way, Sam; the not remembering )
-
written_leaves: (booktower)
I'll hold to you fast,
somehow I'll pull us through,
As a bird with broken wings will still drag though the ash.
As long as my legs will carry me,
I'll carry you.


Nearly to the goal but exhausted and overcome, Frodo's helplessness in the grip of darkness and Sam's faithfulness to see them both through to the end.

Carrying
For your sake I will spend my last breath )
-
Slopes of Ash
How can I bear your eyes aching for tears when none will come - I want to feel pity for you, Sam, but I cannot... )
-
written_leaves: (illumination)
When death is nigh and storms abound
Deep within my heart
I find your words.


Two for Sam, who persevered. The first is for his Gaffer, without whose horse-sense wisdom he would have been adrift and the second for the intensity he dealt with in watching his Master falling deeper beneath his burden and into the edges of madness. Gaffer is somewhat based on a song by Michael Card that he wrote for his own grandfather.

Gaffer
You never knew how much I'd need your words )
-
Stranger
A stranger is watching me from your eyes )
-
written_leaves: (writing)
A
star
single
piercing
through
sharpened
thorns; one
bright eye to
answer. a spark
of life in a deadly
land where living is
suffering and merciless.


Into Mordor proper we go - in this case, to the thorns and the dessication. The first poem is a 'concrete' or shaped poem with each stanza forming a thorn. The second is a (somewhat rambling) examination of the waters that finally trickled down within the rock to keep them alive in that dry, dead place.

Thorns
a silent resolution )
-
Stream's Descent
This spark of life...gathered for a purpose )
-
written_leaves: (amused)
Before I launch into the set for Return of the King - Time for some random lighter bits of verse!

Two short bits that still amuse me even after all this time, one for the lack of love lost between Sam and Gollum, the other for that dramatic moment when Boromir lunges for the Ring and ends up eating leaves.

Sam Considers Gollum
Your eyes a buggin' )
-
Lots of Roughage
Gimme dat. )
-
written_leaves: (writing)
Silent and bright, the stars watch over
My suffering.


I bring the set for The Two Towers to a close with Sam's point of view as he watches the stars, and then seeks after Frodo in the tower. The first is an echoing pattern that I found very effective for the topic, the second is written with a simple song's rhythm - could use some editing, perhaps and I may eventually go back and rework it.

Star Watch
The light of Eärendil glitters )
-
A Song in the Dark
When it all seems ended, with no witness to our tale )
-
written_leaves: (illumination)
So near to darkness, green life holds sway

I've always had a love for plants and for simple gardening, perhaps that is part of why Ithilien remains one of my favorite places in M-e, the idea of a garden overgrown, the life just beneath the neglect. The first poem is a gentler verse for the bit of broth Sam made there, before meeting Faramir - the second is for the window beneath the waterfall of Henneth Annun and the contrast of its color and light with the darkness the men were dwelling in behind it.

Ithilien
A gardener's hands are among you )
-
Window on the West
Deep memories of some heart’s desire )
-

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