Poems of Paral

When plotting out my current WIP, I envisioned four poetic interludes: four uniquely formatted poems that would frame crucial parts of the novel, providing otherwise unobtainable context. Since I began writing the story proper, I realized just how much the text had grown, how its demands had changed. While their stories and meanings still belonged in the novel, the poems no longer did.
I am not, however, one to waste valuable time spent writing. So, as I progress through my current project, I will post a new poem coinciding with its onetime place in the novel.
The first, "The Ballad of Autumn's Peak," is particularly dear to me -- I have read it aloud on two separate occasions for local writing events. It mirrors the position my protagonist, Riel, is currently facing at the start of his adventure; while he does not mourn the loss of his friends, he does worry about losing himself in the new land he has found himself in.
The second, "Sonnets for the Rats of Northaven," will be posted as soon as I reach that chapter, likely within the month.