Singing in the Face of Death
His hand displayed a cold black-feathered dart
the point upon his palm was red as wine
as though the steel had sheltered in his heart.
He ran the risk of death to bring a sign
long promised. In that hand, we all could see
that once stained red, the steel had lost its shine
But free men pay a price for living free
and sometimes die as free men to retain
the right to chose to whom we bend the knee
We offer this as comfort to our slain:
All men must die - but you whom honor calls-
You will live on in many a bard's refrain
And when we gather, safely in our halls
Your names will ring with glory from the walls
****
Author's note:
In this Terza-Rima sonnet, an unnamed Rider of Rohan sings of Hirgon of Gondor.
Hirgon rode to Rohan, bringing the red tipped arrow that asked them to remember
their pledge to ride to Gondor's aid in time of war. His headless body was discovered
later on the road; the arrow was still in his hand.
Over the Memorial Day 2003 weekend, there was a "War and Rememberance" challenge held at Henneth Annun, to write about war or memories associated with war or its loss in a piece of less than 500 words. There are more than fourty astounding little glimpses into the heart of War in this challenge, and I encourage you to look for it at Henneth Annun. War and Rememberance can be found at henneth-annun.net/challenge/entries_view.cfm?NGID=88