Lady, this meant much to me. Waiting day by day to see if my daughter will live or die has made me rather fragile and feel a wreck. This spoke to my heart and I am sorry for the loss of so dear a friend. A hug and prayer for you dear.

Gledon, I am a trifle confused, is this your work or were you sharing another's , I could not be sure. Whoever wrote it - it is lovely and deeply descriptive. And  since you are new here in our little corner of Middle-Earth I will tell you the one rule we have here. We never critique another's offerings, for here is a sanctuary where each of us can come and bare our souls as it were and try any sort of way to express that which lies deep in the unplumbed depths of our hearts and souls. Criticism here is something that chases away those who would timidly come forth and try their hand at poetry. But if something touches us we are free to praise and tell why we praise.

Ah our young friend Wen, so full of wisdom with words for one so new to the world. I have genuinely liked every single thing you have offered in every thread you offered it in. You seem to have a rare gift of being skilled and happily gifted in both prose and poetry and that is amazing. Remember to study others you appreciate and learn the rythmn of their works, study the flow and ebb and read on other cultures and countries in the time period you love and you will become like one who walked in their midst, a native of the place time and political climate and that will make your works magic and authentic. Wonderful. You know I have a dear friend in China, a professorial type who is also the most amazing artist and he tells fabulous stories of his childhood and the people around him with both written stories and his art work. His name is Wenzali but he is called Wen. It strikes me as wondrous that he is of a great age and you are a budding flower, both so talented and yet so different. Thank you, each of you for sharing and enriching this site.

Leelee, many thanks, I hope that this piece did not dampen spirits, but it was meant to focus on the importance of friends and the danger of loneliness. A new theme of mine. I hope to improve by studying more works by Renaissance artists. Yes, that is very interesting, though I am not Chinese, Canadian

Yours,

Wen

PS. I'm hoping that I will post another poem soon.....get ready for a new one!

Not bad, not bad. Welcome Gledon and keep it going.

I'm not much for words this time, so I'll go straight to business and write something. It's been a rather busy week, or more like a sleepy week.

This may be one of my best ones in a while.

And when the oceans shall be freed..

Still, no leaves of life in sight..

But the sky is crystal clear, there the birds just sing and fly

I greet the morning rain, as it keeps pouring down from the heights

The return of spring is finally at hand, but will it be enough to break all of that ice..

Fortunately, the sun is shining so brightly today

I can feel it's warmth, even though it still rains

I can hear the roaring sounds of water, coming from under the ice

And if the winter finally surrenders, then it will mark the beginning of a new tide

We've all been waiting for a new sign of life..

I know a wanderer, who is very ill, there's no light left in his eyes..

But he wants to be there.. Where none else dares..

His last wish was to become one with the waves..

'Mourn my death some other day..'

Standing on the sunlit ice, a man cries out to the skies

He asks for the end of cold times, he wants to feel the breath of seas, before he dies

And in this time of need, we all have to hold on to our hopes and dreams

Any of those dreams can become real, pray to her, the mother earth has eyes and ears

And just like that man, here I stand, on the frosty shores, awaiting for a call of storms

And when I can hear it, I know that our lives have been redeemed

And when the oceans shall be freed.. I should be able to see the rainbow and the azure sky

And that wondrous sight alone can give.. Another silent reason to live this joyful, but short mortal life

'And always when it starts to rain, do not despair. Just close your eyes, feel it's magic and sing about those grey, but remarkable times. The rain is a gift from she, who walks the path of eternity and life.'

And there that man lies on the ice..

His heart no longer beats, he dreamed for one last time..

But when the oceans shall be freed from the chains of ice and grief

Those waves will carry him away to the outer seas..

To a place.. Where his true life finally begins..

Written by: Otto 'Oerath Windsoul' Timonen

Majestic Oerath .. Thank you..

Here is another one, this time the original was written in English so that will be better, you know I use to write in sevwral languages, it depends on the mood, it depends on the moment, it depends on whatever...

To give up

Silence died inside my throat

tired of looking for a voice

abandoned, it decided to give up.

In its place a continuous moan

speechless but it says everything of a heart

one of those that are broken.

Life, hate, pain, love killed it.

During the agony it realized

that bitter taste of the end was already known,

however death was warm

as the tears escaping from my eyes.

Yeah, it's a good start, Elbereth. I will write something by myself this week since I only wrote one work last week, but then again, I've never cared to write too much at once. Not my way of doing things.

My next one will consist of four shorter pieces, and the genre will be fantasy.

Tales from the realm of secrets and legends : Stories about the Sky

Pt. 1 : Birth of those who walk the clouds (A new kingdom shall be built)

Pt. 2 : Creation of infinite and timeless stars (A new era is about to begin for those who live)

Pt 3 : Devourer of all life (A new foe that was born from the energies of the void)

Pt 4 : Dimensional gates are open (A chance to end the existence of all that is evil)

It won't be something easy to grasp, that's for sure. But it will be my next TFTROSAL-part, which is fifth or sixth, if I do remember it right.

Edit: I've no choice, but to let these things evolve for a while, it's a tough day ahead, so I won't be writing nearly anything today. I just came from a short drumming session, and things are good from that field. I've now four drum tracks (nearly complete) for four songs. Give it a month or so, and maybe then I'll upload some full versions to youtube or to some other site. I'm planning to record together with my guitarist friend, and I hope my godfather will be able to bring his recording equpment + hit some bass notes. It would be perfect. But now, I'm so tired that I'd best go to sleep.

Thank you for your comments.

It's great to read so many talented poems and stories in this site. LadyAlyss, your poem made me go backwards.. towards my teens. I used to write like you do. I think death inspires us both. It's so difficult to find the right words in such sad days. Loneliness, death, lack of love, etc. everything we fear is always the best source of inspiration. Well done, I love it. I hope I will read more of your work here in brief.

It had also opened my eyes. Long ago I wrote poems and short stories but actually I left everything. Some of the works were almost finished but I forgot about them and left them in a corner. Now I decided to give them a new chance. I will be never so good as Oerath (he's our hero, as Leelee had said) but at least I will finish some stories. If I write whatever in English I will post it here. If not, I will try to translate it but it loses the essence...

A good start oerath

Hmm, more than in weeks, I've been thinking a lot about something particular, and I've now come up with a battleplan.

I will write my first novella in ages, and while I still have that 'the gathering of lost spirits' to continue, I'll try to write more to it, and keep some break from 'the secret of three graves'. It all can't be done at the same time, and even I don't want to get my hands full of writing. Writing daily non-stop isn't my kind of deal anyway.

I feel that upcoming weekend will be more than fitting to write and post 'the queen of white sorrow and frozen tears'. I've changed my plans about it's structure a bit. It will be poetic story almost all the way, with some short songs to add some atmosphere, and it will have a base story to go with.

But I intended it to be divided into three poems. I don't know why I always want to expand things so much, maybe even too much at times, but I decided that it'd be best to post it as one piece, containing three chapters.

That's it for now, and oh, novella's entitle goes as follows:

'Darbeian: A Secret of The Sky'

The genre will be something from between fantasy and science fiction, but mainly fantasy. Just like the bit of story I shared in that first tale, this work should show my interest towards astronomy, astral things, stars, space and time. For long, I've watched and studied stars with my eyes, and I think I'd be capable of learning some astronomy by myself. Definitely worth of studying.

Yosh, I always make such long posts, so catch ya for now.

That sounds like a large task Oerath, but if anyone can manage it it would be you. It will be interesting I am sure.

Lady I very much loved your reference to the moon as a glowing lantern, that was visually peaceful and lovely. A nice approach to the subject, I liked the emotional feeling it brought to me.

Yeah, 'the moon is a lantern'; very good imagery.

And a little about this novella idea of mine. I guess I've to delay some things even more for it's sake, so I hope some of ya don't be disappointed at my decision.  I've been shaping the main story and list of possible characters in my mind. I think it will be a good project to work on, and a friend of mine said yesterday that I should've done this long time ago. He stated that my idea sounds like a sci-fi one, but I don't know. Maybe it's a combination of different genres, even I cannot tell.

But that's it for now, and concerning the holidays, I wish you all good holidays, or if not that, then good weekend!

Charming! I can imagine those trees, feel the cold and even the silence around trapping me.

I have no words to describe it. Touching!

Hey Lady!

How are you doing? Have you written something new? Here the PT members wait for your stuff too. Hahaha. I'm joking, inspiration doesn't work that way... I will be pleased if you post something.

Not bad, Lady Alyss. I was about to write something earlier today, but then I got bored and decided to watch some One Piece. Anyway, I will finish it now. More or less, it's norse inspired.

Nothing so great, it's pretty much about being a guardian, to earn something promised and to be something more than just a mortal. Just another idea that I came up with, whilst I worked.

I consider it a little bit cheesy one.

A Guardian and A God

Tranquility and peace are the words of power in these halls

From here I can see the very flow of time itself, from here I can look into the eye of every storm

For so long, I've withstood the restless power of wind, but it won't ever be enough to bring down these sacred walls

And as long as I'm the guardian of this temple, I'll continue to defend this place - in the name of the nordic gods

Even the sky shall know and fear my name

As I raise my staff and send my hails

Heed me out, the gods of north

The time is now at hand, the time to fulfill a promise of old

Today, I want to see the might of thunder and rain

Today, I want to forget everything about sorrow and pain

Today, I will abandon this mortal shell and choose another form

Today, I will leave this plane of existence behind - to become a god

And when swords and spears will clash, my shield shall not break

And when my foes will fight with me to death, only I shall prevail

And when I will stand before thousands of armed warriors, my heart shall know no fear

And when I will ride across the sky to challenge Sol, my mind shall be purified and clear

But god or man, one thing will always remain the same, this temple is mine to protect

Now and forever, until the time loses it's meaning, until this world sees it's end

But god or man, I'm just one among many others, and if we're all equal in power and will

Then there's no need for any bloodshed, 'cause gods and men were destined not to kill

'In the heat of battle, always remember that wisdom is your greatest weapon against those, who would only wish to take lives. By saving lives, you're one step closer to become something more than just a mere mortal.'

Written by: Otto 'Oerath Windsoul' Timonen

Thanks, Leelee. I've been quite happy lately due to many kind of things, and despite early wakes, it's all going perfectly fine. It all has certainly given some extra meaning to text that I've written recently.

I'm too tired to start today, but I've everything as ready for my novella. A suitable writing book, some good pencils and some background story to start with. This time around, I'll strive to give it a good start, by writing a lot of details, before the actual story takes place.

'Darbeian: A Secret of the Sky' - It will strictly tell about a world, where war and bloodshed are everything to most of it's people, and due to this fact, they will divide into smaller societies and groups, and those who seek peace, will be forced to become rebels. And if a whole world is destroyed, what will be left?

The sky is the answer.

That's all I can give to you all for now. When I progress with the writings, I will maybe post some bits of it as journal entries.

But, my intention is that this year, 2012, will be a glorious year for me. I shall try to publish this novella, in a way or another.

- Oerath.

I know I haven't been posting or commenting, but do not doubt that I have been reading as much of your works that I can, and continue to be blown away.

Elebereth - You have great talent and a very defined style. I appreciate all you post. 

Leelee - Without your soft spoken words of support where would we be? You are the life of this thread Thank you, though I do not contribute as much as I would like. 

And all the rest of you who never ceasing contribute, I acknowledge you for what you do.

What do I feel? 

Nothing, nothing at all.

But that is not the truth,

I feel... I feel it all.

My hands are cold, aching muscles tugging at their roots.

A twisted gut, forcing the last tear from my eyes. 

My legs are buckling, my mind is letting loose.

With all I have I cry my last of anguish pain and grief.

What more can they do, 

How much more can they take,

From my life like a skillful thief. 

I wish to go back home, 

To the fire, the fresh made bread.

All of that is gone now.

Ah’ but a memory, 

Floating round my pounding head.

My fingers slide, 

Down the wall, catching surface as I drop.

I have the sensation of a thousand feet,

Fell in one but small. 

My feet glissade below me, 

Till at last I now lay still. 

But the pumping heart inside me, 

Makes blood begin to boil, 

Spilling out before me the room begins to fill.

Does anyone remember, 

The sound’s of my joyous voice. 

Can anyone succor me, 

If life is yet a choice. 

Fill me with a mirthful sound, my elixir of life. 

Pick me up from the grave I lay, 

And say but one soft word. 

Give me naught but happiness, 

Give me back my life.

Fahvier,

Thank you very much Fahvier and LadyAlyss. I'm very pleased with your comments and that pushs me to go on working and try it day by day.

Fahvier, I didn't hear from you before. Nice to meet you! Your poem has grief and strength too; it's curious. How can people express the darkest or deepest feelings in words? It's so hard and rewarding at the same time. I hope I can read more of your work here. 

Elbereth, your first two lines give such a powerful message to me, for whatever happens, whatever comes past this minute, take that moment to breathe in and out and listen to the wonderful sound. For it might be the one thing that holds you together when the Balrog comes from nowhere to cut you asunder. The breath in my mind is straight from Eru, a gift , sweet and pure and holy somehow. Thank you. And as for thoughts being scattered or 'a mess' that is very normal. I will tell you what Agatha Christie did. She kept scraps of paper in her pocket and a pencil or whatever. Whenever she heard a bit of interesting conversation where ever she might be or thought something worth noting she jotted it down immediately and put it in her purse and days or weeks or whatever later she would dump them on to the kitchen table, just a jumble of thoughts and look at them and after a while, the thoughts lined up and she was able to make marvellous sentences that formed her books.

And Fahv, I can so relate to much of your riveting poem, I feel those feelings at the moment, waiting, waiting to know if my child will live or die, I find you have a gift of relating to others in a most unusual and fresh way, keep it up.

When you said Elbereth that Lady's work is blue, I totally agree. I also think of a wounded butterfly, so ethereal, so real in a vast universe that mostly does not care. lovely.

How happy I am for you dear Prince of poems, how very happy all is going well for you . hurray and soon we will be once more swept away. Take a lesson from this dear one , for when he started on this thread he did well, but as time went on and he pressed into the wind, he just kept getting better and better and I do believe practice and reading others you admire makes for great strides in one's craft. thank you all.

I am pleased Brego came to us at last for here in this person I have perceived a long time ago a sublime mixture of beauty, genius, mercy and kindness and such intimate knowledge of Tolkien's Wilderness Canon is what i call The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, that I could almost believe it was all real and he was there standing near to Eru at the beginning. I cannot wait to see more and that was most beautiful and one dared not breathe to loud, absolutely beautiful imagery.

Arda, A, the beginning, so appropriate.

 Tomorrow

Tomorrow I may perish

at the axe of orcs

or cunning of Saruman.

Maybe tomorrow

But this is today

and the woods and sky call me.

"Legolas, come play,

breathe the soft scented pure air-

behold the blue sky.

I drink in this day.

Tomorrow there might be pain

of heart and anguish.

Loved ones murdered for nothing,

to appease The Eye.

But today there  is sweet peace ,

born on wings of hope

where evil has not found me

I sing on this day.

I am Legolas.

And one last time Middle -Earth

Is my sweet playground

The gulls have called me.

"Hasten, Grey Havens call you "

they cry, and I run.

Tomorrow I pass over.

Middle- Earth-- no more

will we play and be dear friends

Tomorrow has come.

Fahvier, it's good to see you once again, and meh, you did a comeback with style.

I like of your writing, no matter what you dot down. Good job.

I was at one school today, and there I saw a stuffed wolf in a glass vitrine (showcase)

I wasn't happy about looking at it, since wolves are magnificent creatures, though feared, still so mysterious and great beings. After seeing it, I wanted to write something about wolves, and then I remembered a few old songs and music video's I had seen, and got a sudden inspiration.

By the way, good going, Brego and Leelee. Rachel, you always write such nice middle-earth themed stuff.

But, back to business.

'Vorelfos was barely two year's old, when his parents abandoned him and left him to a forest, far in the north. He thought they would leave and come back for him afterwards, but his hopes were all in vain. Now, lost in a forest, with no chances to survive on his own, what fate will befall him?'

Vorelfos: A child who became a wolf

Part I : The Call of Wilderness
 

He was left all alone with nothing, but a gift of the nightfall..

No parents to protect him.. He was without care and love..

He had nothing at all..

And being not able to rise on his feet, he cried and cried..

Asking for someone to save his life..

He didn't want to die, his only wish was to survive..

And when he saw the first of his nights, he feared for his life..

But at the arrival of morning light, his existence would no longer be denied..

Salvation.. It was finally in his reach..

And when he opened his grey and sad eyes..

He saw the mother wolf, sitting by his side..

She howled and howled, asking for him to climb to her back

Vorelfos saw no evil in her eyes, so he did as she asked..

Together, they rode through lands and great forests

And Vorelfos fell asleep, before they even reached the den of wolves

But once they were there, he cried no more, and as he looked at all of those wolves around him

He felt no fear, only comfort and love.. He had been given a second chance.. A new beginning

And as the years passed, he finally reached the age of ten

He was ready to fight for his clan, but he still had to grow more in size and strength

And then one windy day, whilst riding on the back of mother wolf, they encountered a wanderer

He looked at him and asked: 'What are you doing here, child. Where are your parents?'

Vorelfos understood him, but he wasn't capable of speaking, so he said the only word his parents had teached to him:

'Vorelfos..'

'Is that your name, lad? Why are you with the wolves, answering to the call of wilderness?'

He laughed, but Vorelfos looked confused and asked: 'Wil.. Wilder.. ness?'

'Look around you, boy, this is the wilderness.'

By lighting his pipe, he said:

'It seems that you cannot speak, but you can understand what I'm saying?' asked the man, and Vorelfos nodded

Then the man took a pointy hat off the grass and placed it on his head, saying: 'Mind if I accompany you two?' Then he said a few words in a tongue unknown to Vorelfos, but suddenly, the mother wolf howled and lowered her head, as if she was bowing to this wanderer.

Who is this man, he thought, but then the man placed his hand on Vorelfos's shoulder and said:

'Do not worry, lad. I know what you're thinking. I was sent here to protect you, and I will teach you how to speak. I can also write and sing songs, but we should be going already. Night is at hand.'

But then he saw a mystical mark on Vorelfos's forehead, and by pointing at it, he said: 'How.. How is it possible that you've the mark of nightfall. It is said to be a rare gift of birth. It symbolizes one's eyes being able to see completely in the dark. And according to the legend, someone who has this mark, is able to become one with the shadows. But I don't know, it's a myth after all.'

Vorelfos touched his forehead with his hand, and thought: 'A gift of nightfall.. What.. could it.. mean?'

But he was too tired to think about such things, so instead of that, he only smiled and nodded. It was surely getting dark, but his heart was somehow at ease. And soon, in warmth of the mother wolf's fur, he fell asleep again. And in his dream, he saw his parents, just like every night before that. He didn't saw their faces, but he still knew they were his parents. He just knew.. And in that same dream, he saw the wanderer smiling at him, he smoked his pipe and kept singing something about journeying to the ends of the world. And at that moment, Vorelfos wished he could speak and sing too, but in time he would learn how to, and that thought was enough to calm his mind.

'Who is that man.. Is he.. a guardian?'

Those were the words he said aloud, while he fell deeper into sleep.

The wanderer looked at the mother wolf, and suddenly started to laugh: 'A guardian.. Hmm.. What a strange mortal child. He's already looking more wolf than a human should, but I can see it in his eyes. He wants to be a wolf, and who knows.. Any dream can become true, after all.'

Looking at the moon, he blew smoke rings out of his mouth, and said with a grin: 'This wind surely is biting, but I feel that there's something more to this night than meets the eye. Don't you agree, Frelath?'

Howling to the night, the mother wolf silently agreed, as they kept walking towards the den.

To be continued.

Written by: Otto 'Oerath Windsoul' Timonen

An amazing story so far Oerath

Thanks, Brego. I will most likely write a second part sometime between evening and night.

It will contain more poetry and of course, some story, and if I can write both two last parts before tomorrow, I'll post all of the three as a journal entry, and focus a bit on other things.

I was supposed to post that second part last night, but ironically, even though I didn't feel sleepy, I fell asleep on my 'laid-back' chair. ^^

I still managed to write a good deal of it, and if I don't have anything special today, I'll finish it and post.

How wonderful for you Elbereth, I am really pleased and happy in my heart for your accomplishments.

Brego that was riveting and reminded my of plain talking down to earth Sam's background. The Gaffer in the movies so sure he knew all about all and his dim view of anyone not Hobbity and hairey so that I am quite certain he terrified half the little ones about all the Elven things he gleaned anything about, twisting it all around to make a dark murky picture. And again from the movie poor Gimli's description of that Golden Lady. My how he changed with a bit of knowledge and one look into those eyes. Smitten forever.  I was riveted. No apologies necessary. You would be as poetic and thrilling were you to do it by smoke signal.

Oerath , our dear dream weaver, I felt like crying from the words'gift of the night' and I don't know why.

That was my favorite poem of your contributions. The relationship of the mother wolf and the babe. Do you know a writer called Farley Mowatt, he is from my country though his people from Scotland and he journeyed far far up north and lived a while with the Eskimo and studied the wolf. His writings are amazing, astounding and give such an exquisite beautiful picture of the wolf hierarchy

Looking forward to more from you dear Lady.

Fahv, I am waiting for the bottomless well of wondrous words inside your heart to come up and be put down on paper once more.

Dear Rukain you want honesty. Here you are, I'm ASTONISHED with your poem. I found it a bit chaotic at first but it's really original, you know, you have a great imagination. It's great to read something that makes you think and you get it. I mean, I began to read the poem and I was not concentrated on it because I'm in a Cafe and the people, noise around... you know. But suddenly I realized I had forgotten the world and was putting all my attention to your post. It's unbelievable! It waked me up! That's the best description. I cannot say it's the best stuff I have ever read but I can truly say, it is perhaps the most original. Changing the real things for new options. What if....? Cool!