I awoke this morning,

Thinking of things which Tolkien wrote,

I don’t know why, but one thing,

Struck me as being of note.

It’s an undercurrent,

Running through his tales,

Though we see it there again and again,

In each one without fail.

But the one defining moment,

Where it’s first spoke out loud,

Is at the door to Moria,

Among the traveling crowd.

After many pompous displays,

Tricks and fancy spells,

Taps and hammers upon the stone,

And all their hopes had fell.

In a moments inspiration,

Or was it in surrender,

As the words above the door were read,

“Speak friend and enter”.

It was a simple riddle,

Though the answer’s so oft forgot,

Declare yourself to be a friend,

And forget the tommyrot.

Of course there’s more to friendship,

Than just the spoken word,

Actions speak louder,

And above the din are heard.

But we find in the beginning,

Even the most guarded door,

Opens first to friendship,

With no need of more.