Hold On

(Third in the BFS series – Film canon)

Westel

Prelude

Your bruised and battered body swings below;

I cannot reach your hand upon the ledge.

I stretch still further, urging you to try,

But strength eludes your fingers at the edge

Of mayhem lurking fierily beneath,

And insight dawns upon your dirty brow.

You know that you will fall, your fingers slip,

Your body plunge into that hellish waste.

A timely, fitting end, your glance it tells -

What better end for such who've failed as I.

"Oh, don't let go!" I call in terror mad,

My voice a frantic plea among the flames.

I'm tired, so say your eyes, the battle lost.

"Don't you let go," I beg, my heart aflame.

For you, I'll try, the eyes portray at last.

And mustering all my strength, I reach again.

And this—this time—connection truly made,

I feel your weight, so slight, suspended there.

I pull with all my might, and heart, and will;

It seems I reach for something deep inside,

To finish what was started years ago,

For Master's life is tangled up with mine.

I feel the fleshless form beneath my grasp

And run, half-carrying you, postponing death.

It's over. Now your old voice has returned.

It's done, you say, your features in amaze.

But it's not done, I realize too late,

And pull you, weakened, frail, upon the rock.

You comfort me when I dear Rosie mourn,

And all that might have been - there at the end.

Interlude

The day is long, and sweet, and whole again.

I see you, healing, basking in the care

Of those who love and greatly honor you.

You smile on me, assuring All is well.

And yet, somehow, I know that something's wrong,

But all that I can do for now, is hope. . .

And bid you hold! Hold on, my dear, hold tight

To thoughts of Rivendell, of elven light -

To memories of loved ones, far and near,

To forests, fields, and sweet old stories told.

So when you've held enough, and time is spent,

You'll journey to your final home - and rest.

Postlude

Our home, Bag End, is boisterous and alive

With family, friends, and children underfoot.

Yet I, unwilling, think of ships a-sail

And strange birds calling in the salty air.

But I must wait—hold on—until it's time,

It's time, at last, to make my own way West.