Aftermath of Moria
A blast of blinding light did shock
The eyes of eight worn men,
For of the nine that entered, one
Would not return again.
From Moria's unsettling dark
Emerged the faithful band
Who presently had witnessed
A most valiant last stand.
A balrog and a wizard fought
And few moments had passed
Before they smote each other down,
Forever falling fast.
The fellowship, now crippled, could
Do nothing but look on.
O, useless would have been a hand
Or even a sword drawn!
Thus helpless and abandoned, they
Were surely fit to fail.
All fraught with guilt, fatigue and grief,
Each one let out a wail:
The dwarf howled, growled, and spat;
He cursed the enemy!
The elf was silent, pondering
This strange mortality.
One man of Gondor, heart ablaze,
Tried hard to calm his friends.
The ranger, meanwhile, whispered prayer,
Entreating better ends.
But none were so wounded as four
Who knew Gandalf the best.
The hobbits from the sheltered Shire
Had not known such a test.
The sorrow overwhelmed them,
Tore innocence apart.
Their tears and sobs could not express
The pain that wrenched their hearts.
Naïve and hopeful, they had left
To give the quest their all.
Poor Halflings, they had never dreamt
They'd watch their wizard fall.
A blast of blinding light did shock
The eyes of eight worn men,
For of the nine that entered, one
Would not return again.
From Moria's unsettling dark
Emerged the faithful band
Who presently had witnessed
A most valiant last stand.
A balrog and a wizard fought
And few moments had passed
Before they smote each other down,
Forever falling fast.
The fellowship, now crippled, could
Do nothing but look on.
O, useless would have been a hand
Or even a sword drawn!
Thus helpless and abandoned, they
Were surely fit to fail.
All fraught with guilt, fatigue and grief,
Each one let out a wail:
The dwarf howled, growled, and spat;
He cursed the enemy!
The elf was silent, pondering
This strange mortality.
One man of Gondor, heart ablaze,
Tried hard to calm his friends.
The ranger, meanwhile, whispered prayer,
Entreating better ends.
But none were so wounded as four
Who knew Gandalf the best.
The hobbits from the sheltered Shire
Had not known such a test.
The sorrow overwhelmed them,
Tore innocence apart.
Their tears and sobs could not express
The pain that wrenched their hearts.
Naïve and hopeful, they had left
To give the quest their all.
Poor Halflings, they had never dreamt
They'd watch their wizard fall.