These Are My JOTtings, Part #2

Fiendish Best

The balrog and the jabberwock
explored their checkered past.
Who'd crown the most 'fore time could tock.
The pieces down to cast.

In haunted forest, light not much,
where ghosts were not at all,
these fiendish foes, whose breath could touch
were sneezing a fireball.

"Let's light the night, and sneeze some faces
in the wooden bark,"
said Wocky without common graces
with a lot of snark.

"Thy breath is foul. I humbly trow,"
the Balrog quoth anon.
"The traveler near would faint, I know,
before thee shouts, 'Begone.'"

"Of roses would my worthy breath
smell sweet compared to thou,
but there is one more drenched in death.
Great Smaug 'fore him we bow."

"Thou speakest truth. His wretched mouth
still reeks of many days
when never brush touch teeth gone south,
and none could guess decays."

"Let's set 'em up, and play, again,"
the Wocky chortled loud.
"The winner gets to then play him,
to go before him, bowed."

"I forfeit, then, O, Worthy Wock.
I seek no audience
'fore he, whose words all tend to mock
with breath, that's all too obvious."

"O, nay, Balrog, I need the chance
to lose it, fair and square.
I can't approach the one, whose glance
doth torment, like his stare."

"So, rock-paper-scissors to see who goes?"
"Of course, but do we need
to go before the one, who shows
his home is full of greed?"

"What would, ye, then, O, Jabberwock?
To go us home, and sup,
avoid his wrath, to eat and talk,
to while the daylight up?"

"O, yes. That's it. I like it true.
He is the fiendish best.
I'd save our lives, and friendship, too,
avoiding that great test."

The jabberwock and balrog went
about their nasty lives,
without a moment awful spent
'fore Smaug, and hopeful thrived.

There's something to be said, I guess,
for those, who know their place.
"'Tis better to still live your mess
than die a charred disgrace."

by Jay O’Toole
on March 28th, 2022