Silmarillion: Poetry: Gross Reflections

Title: Gross Reflections
Fandom: Silmarillion, LotR
Challenge: Bury
Other prompt: 144 or "gross"; Bilbo's verse forms
Rating: G
Length: 144
Content notes: Catastrophic loss, grief
Author notes: Thanks go to Himring, Morgynleri & Runa for encouragement & sanity-checking.
Summary: 144 words on the Fifth Battle, patterned after Bilbo's 'I sit beside the fire and think'

Gross Reflections

I sit beside the howe and think
Of all those gone before
A dozen dozen buried there
And all too many more

From hill and dell, from wood and mere
With sword and spear so keen
From mountain keep and mist cloaked shore
The battle ground to glean

I stand beside the road and sing
Of those who marched away
From keep and forest, cot and mine
To fight at break of day

The valiant kings and mighty lords
Weavers, farmers, fisher folk,
With smiths and bards of high renown
And rage their hearts to stoke

I lie beside the field and dream
Of dust and ash aglow
Of balrog whips and dragon fire
Cold bones 'neath ice and snow

Oh even now the tears do fall
So many souls are gone
Too many dead to number true
So few to see the dawn


A howe can be either a hill/barrow, or a hole/hollow