Where Shadows Breed Stone And Steel

A humble tribute to one of the mightiest fortresses of evil in Tolkien's writings: Minas Morgul (Tower of the Moon)

Follow the rhythm of the night

Intensified by the absence of sound

Feel the crawling hands of nothing

Twist around the neck of light

Inhale the texture of emptiness,

Feel the universe, inside a coffin.

 

Where the immortal ones sleep

And horrid shapes hide and sneak

Draconian thoughts ferment deep

In the isolation macabre.

Where soulless creatures flourish

And grow tall as the nightshades.

 

Follow the rhythm of the night

Watch the reversed sunrise

Descending through a wanton storm

Baptized in starless void

Baptized in a web of silence.

 

This is where heroes are born

The blind knights of evil

Unlit slaves and masters

Armored with bloodlust and hate.

 

Here in the tower of the moon

Where steel is bred in darkness

Where creatures without souls

Are built by souls without flesh

Here, in Minas Morgul;

Where the shadows breed stone and steel.

Author's Note

Originally written as a metal song, hope it wasn't too long.

Reviews

[M. A. Kilcorse]

Great imagery, brought to mind the orc armies being constructed in Mordor. However, I feel a strong lack of structure in the flow. When I read it was written as a metal song, it made it better, but I would be careful when adapting a song to a poem, they follow different rules.

[FocusedAmnesia]

I think if you reversed the last two stanzas, it would read better. I like the last line. It really sums it up.