Words beneath a dappled sky

Caged by men, to foe unfearing
The bars give way with courage nearing
In lines of steel her fair face tearing
Sharp, bright-edged Eowyn

An adaptation of Tennyson's Lady of Shallot for Eowyn's story, the idea was started by someone else but caught my fancy so I ran with it. I remember spending the better part of a long Thanksgiving weekend trip with a notebook in hand struggling to work this through - and yes, it's just as long. For what it's worth, I've had a couple people tell me they preferred it to the original, which was a fine compliment indeed.

The Lady Eowyn
( In hall of stone above the plains )
-

My liege fades under his counselor's hand
Like an old parchment slowly losing its words
Not to the brightness of sunlight
But to the spores and small creeping things
That favor the night.

Another set of two for Rohan - Eomer's despairing attempt at bringing a response from Theoden to deal with the death reaching in over their borders in Meduseld, and with it a sketch of how Gandalf is perceived by the Rohan people and court as a bearer of ill news, as he tries to warn them of the coming war.

Eomer
( Meduseld... A golden cage, a lush death bed scented with herbs and hay )
-
Stormcrow's Warning
( Yes, where Stormcrow flies, war comes close behind=, and grievous the carrion birds surely to follow )
-

Once again, Shakespeare provides a framework that suits the subject matter so very well -

For Eomer, betrayed and exiled by his own Lord's twisted command:
( Eomer: Hands of Falsehood )
Theoden:
( Dark were my Dreams, of Late )
( I Shall Not Now Be Ashamed )

I am contemplating the veritable mountain of poetry I have, trying to decide how best to present the portions worth presenting. Haiku is a bit like potato chips, really, tiny bites that can either be savored or crunched down quickly according to mood.

( A pile of Tolkien-themed haiku )