Being Bombadil

 

 When I look back, I wonder now

Who was it, the hero one?

Wizards, elves, the dwarves below

Or was it one of the hobbits in turn?

 

In youth, you would say, Frodo, who else?

Gandalf, Strider, Legolas as well,

But as you grow old, you do realise

This world is far from a green Rivendell

 

As silvers set, you wait for the dusk

When you find your peace in the stars above

You know you have bled, been burnt, and bruised

To have scribed your tales of pain and love

 

And then you will know it was always Tom,

The Bombadil Tom, was the hero lone

The recluse Soul of the Forests old,

Who chose his fate in being unknown

Desireless was he, to have found his peace,

That the Ring itself could have no hold,

In his simple life with nothing around

He had found his gems and gifts of gold

 

But can we too find the Tom in us?

Can we stay far from the Rings of greed?

Can we forsake the treasures of Smaug,

And live in our forests, devoid of need?

 

 The day we do, the epics end

The legends fall, the rings don’t gleam

But it is also then, that we realise

Heroes were made for kids to dream

 

To tame the villains, to sing a tale

To create purpose, that there be a road

But when all is walked, where do you go?

To Bombadil Tom, and his forest abode…

 

25^th September, 2025

 

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In the Lord of the Rings saga by JRR Tolkien, Tom Bombadil was perhaps the most enigmatic character, almost philosophical in his existence. In a world consumed by the struggle over the One Ring, Bombadil stood apart— immune to its corruption not because he resisted it, but because it had no meaning for him. His existence suggests that true power comes not from dominion or resistance, but from the absence of feeling its need in the very first place.

The following lines are an inspiration to that part in every one of us, that chooses to be Tom Bombadil -  living above not just the expectations of the world, but more importantly above the need for any sort of validation deep within.

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