[aylad]

From the shop's corner I watch them.
Like a multicolored tide, the Elves and Men
ebb and flow, ebb and flow.
The shopclerk battles to make a profit;
against the charm of the charmers
he is powerless.

I watch them interact: their lust and hate
become weapons in the war,
the war they fight of pride and honor...
the war of identity... "I am the greatest!"
cries one. The others shout denials.
Pathetic.

I watch them scream at each other,
all so obsessed with themselves,
all so certain that they are the strongest
and all so afraid that they might be wrong.
A fight breaks out. One is dead, the other proud,
but which is which?

I pass unseen through them, silent,
assuming no false dignity, no pretensions,
demanding no homage. They care not.
She cares not. And I wonder:
is this the secret? Is this how to win her?
Through insanity?

Perhaps I should join with them.
To live within the village, within walls
and beneath a roof, to join with her.
To join with her. Is it worth it? Could I live
bound by the laws of Men?
I cannot.

I pass unseen just before her eyes.
She cares not, and I am left adrift.
Back to the forest, to ash and pine,
casting spells over my cauldron and wishing,
wishing, that within the walls of the wild
she could live.