Once

by Maethril Aranel

A poem about Aragorn and his journey from ranger to king, written from his own perspective.

Once

Once
I thought that I was safe
I thought that I could fool myself
I thought I could run away.

Once
I thought that I could hide
I thought it could never catch up to me
But you can't deceive the flow of time.

Once, so very long ago
Once, before I let it go
Years before the rain began
And a storm fell upon the land
Days of life and flowers in spring
Hiding from what was meant to be.

The once that is now forgotten
Whilst a new dawn is begotten
With silver showers we start anew
Promises now I have to live up to
This was never what I wanted
This was never what I wanted
Once I thought it would never happen
I hope, I prayed it would never happen
But now it's more than near
The fate I ran from is here.

And the vows of yesteryear are broken
Through the hours a light is awoken
Flames of today, embers of tomorrow
Broken shards of hope and sorrow
So many pieces, so many lies
A new man is born while another one dies
This was never what I wanted
This was never what I wanted
What I wanted never mattered
Once is lost and once is shattered
I can keep my gaze fixed beyond
Look forward or dwell on what is gone
I wish I could look back
But there is no turning back
My star shines and at the same time fades
I want to run but I want to stay
Is this what I wanted?
Was it always what I wanted?
It works in strange ways, the human mind...
Was everything I lived a lie?

So now I'll stop deceiving
I have to start believing
Fate was true and I was blind
I should have stood forth rather than hide
That once is in the past
That once could never last
Now I've promised that I'll never say never
Some promises have to be held to forever.

Some things are meant to be
Others fade into memory
Sacrifice is always needed
Words once spoken and never heeded
She is my life, my love, my star
More than earth and heavens afar
But was it worth the price we paid?
We know inside that we're afraid
I could never love her more
But death brings life and life is short
Yet this was meant to be
Though I could never see
The battle I fought for years is done
I have yet to decide whether I lost or won.

Once
Once never truly was
Once will never truly be
Anything more than a memory.

That once was when I kept saying never
That once is the once that is now gone forever.
The ranger is gone, like the sun in the west
Now the king reigns, may his days be blessed
May it be forever
May it outlast never
May it live when he lays to rest
May these years be the very best.

Now the king reigns...

May his days be blessed.