Equine Loyalty

I had a nice IM conversation with my uncle Dave yesterday, so when I went to work I had Tolkien on the brain, as much of our discussion involved him. Aside from one guy who bought 11 calendars (!) it was typically slow, so I found myself composing this poem in my head, writing it down whenever I finished a stanza. I was highly amused because just as I finished writing the fourth stanza, the song Wedding Bell Blues (which I always think of as Bill) came on the mall radio. I took it as a good sign. Anyway, I always thought Bill was a pretty great pony, even though my brother assigned that moniker to a little plastic donkey I had and took to attacking me with it whenever he entered my room. Grrrr. Sideshow WETA put out a sculpture of Bill and Sam, which I found a bit ironic since their relationship was so undeveloped in the movie; I don't think they even said Bill's name. But I really wanted that sculpture. Alas, it sold out, and now I shall never get one. Sniff. Anyway, here is the poem.

Equine Loyalty

Down through valleys, over hills,
Hardy, never tiring,
Plods the patient pony Bill,
Solid and inspiring.

Nurtured by the steady Sam,
Gentlest of masters,
Bill braces and thinks, “I am
Able to go faster.”

Grateful to find freedom from
That loutish brute in Bree,
He will take whatever comes
To him gracefully.

Larger, stronger horses might
Bolt, braying “Why bother?”
Bill will not succumb to fright.
He thinks, “I’ll go farther.”

One day Sam will let him go –
“For your own good,” he’ll say.
Bill, with footsteps sad and slow,
Will faithfully obey.

Wandering with careful gait
Paths pristine and weathered,
He’ll come home at last and wait
Till Sam, having fulfilled his fate,
And he can be together.