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In Which The Field Is Guarded1,725 words
The Guardian of the Rye496 words

The Guardian of the Rye

The piece of prose you've—hopefully—just read has been pseudo-grafted here into poetic form because I'm on a poetic high at the moment without really having a defined place to defecate.
I think, oddly, this version's actually clearer in what it means. Enjoy, I suppose.

She stands beneath the molten sky
With sweat like dew upon her coat
Stands on a hill ‘midst fields of oat
Or are they wheat? Or are they rye?

No matter, for the sunlight scattered
Patters down like drops of rain
Refrained, the same is not the same
But nothing’s changed, no, nothing’s changed

How could she know which way to go
When knowing shows too many roads?
The crows of woe crow out their goads
But still, she holds—Oh still!—She holds!

And guards the fields from being meal
With scarecrow Jimbo by her side
Teal eyes reveal naught else abides
She sighs, and knows not what to feel

Hers is the choice and hers the voice
That makes her stay till wheat makes hay
Through dark and day, she does not cave
But braves away the long divorce

The bond that broke ‘neath fire and smoke
When night eternal owned the sky
That’s why she sighs and guards the rye
Or was it wheat? Or was it oat?

No matter: batter down the doors
And shatter war by drawing swords
No more caw the crows of woe
But pause for what they know’s foresworn

She does not break, but still they wait
And sate their hate through mocking fate
Thou must break; thou hast before
Bring back the war! Break now, they caw!

She holds, although she knows not why
For her black night should take the sky
Regret won’t let her mind forget
Eyes dry, she sighs, and guards the rye

The autumn comes, and ‘neath its sun
She wonders if her blunder’s done
Where are the crows? Where did they go?
Awake, she hates, and slowly breaks

But knows it—knows it!—knows she’s breaking
Holds, though holding’s her unmaking
Bides, though 'side her Jimbo’s quaking
Smiles, as Harvest Moon’s awakening

A second sun in thunderous rise
Lights up the skies from side to side
Her pride and bride beside the Sun,
She’s almost won—yes, almost won

The dark held back with her intact
She kept the wheat throughout the weeks
Complete—unbroken. Not quite total
Enough, though, to have earned their trust

To show that she can guard her ponies
Guard her land and guard herself
Watch her health and know herself
No longer break by waiting lonely

Harvest Moon is soon to noon
As midnight bright alights her night
The yield of field lies horizontal
At last, her task dies with the grass

She’s laughter after chaff is shed
No longer treads with thoughts unsaid
And songs become her wrongs undone
Sweet guardian Moon returns with Sun

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AugieDog

AugieDog #1 · Jun 7th, 2013 · · ·

Ding-dang it, Aquillo!

Now you've got me thinking about my least favorite form of verse, the dreaded sestina! I mean, the whole schtick behind a sestina is that it has this weird swirling pattern of the six words that end each line instead of an actual rhyme scheme, and the entirely of MLP FiM is founded on six words, isn't it? The rhythm of those six words--honesty, kindness, generosity, laughter, loyalty, and friendship--makes me think a dactylic tetrameter would work well with a spondee substitued in the last foot each time one of the three two-syllable words came along...

If I actually do this, I'll blame you.

Mike Again

TheTownCrier

TheTownCrier #2 · Jun 7th, 2013 · · ·

2688269
Let me clarify. In twelve cups my coffee can take you from the walking dead to a resurrected Albert Einstein by several orders of magnitudes.

horizon

horizon #3 · Jun 8th, 2013 · 1 · ·

2688269
Holy shit, how could I have missed that? Luna and Celestia don't exist. They're just externalized allegory for Jimbo's psychological conflict: The dark side, which takes great delight in its macabre task and rends its foes limb from limb, leaving their bleeding corpses in the field; or the light side, which is his conscience trying to pull him away from the task, and let the field lie fallow.

The field is ponykind. Jimbo is the reaper, cutting down all the lives of those who die of old age.

HoofBitingActionOverload

HoofBitingActionOverload #4 · Jun 8th, 2013 · · ·

To show that she can guard her ponies
Guard her land and guard herself
Watch her health and know herself
No longer break by waiting lonely

Well, you just sort of gave it away there, didn't you?

I might like this version better, except for the lack of Jimbo.

Smirkythread

Smirkythread #5 · Jun 8th, 2013 · 1 · ·

For some odd reason I think this is about Luna's banishment to the moon.

The wheat is Equistria and the ponies; Luna had made herself wait until they were ready to beat her back. Celestia misses her sisiter and this shows by the moon shaped scar on her chest, or more specifically her heart.

And Jimbo, well he's just Jimbo and therefore awesome.

If I got this wrong......well I never been good with this kind of stuff anyway.

Firebirdbtops

Firebirdbtops #6 · Jun 8th, 2013 · 3 · ·

You missed a verse.

The deed be done, her tired vigil
Her companion Jimbo remains so still
Princess victorious for all to see
Glorify her later, for she needs to pee

Aquillo

Aquillo #7 · Jun 8th, 2013 · · ·

2690489

images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111009164915/mlp/images/thumb/6/69/First_Pinkie_Pie_smile_S1E23.png/640px-First_Pinkie_Pie_smile_S1E23.png

Do it. That sounds awesome. I don't think I've even heard of that form before.

2690534

2690862

“Help me, Twilight Sparkle,” Rainbow Dash said. “I am trapped under the table again, and cannot get out. I am in need of help, Twilight Sparkle. Will you help me? Will you be the pony who helps me out?”
“Hello, Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight Sparkle. “I have come to say hello to you. Will you say hello to me? It is proper to say hello to other ponies. It is proper to say hello to them when they say hello to you.”
“I am going to hide from you, Twilight Sparkle,” Rainbow Dash said. “You will not be able to see me because I will be hidden. I am going to hide my hide from you, which is another way of saying the furry coat upon my body.”
“Hold on, Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight Sparkle. “Hold on, and I will help you. If you do not hold onto that chair so much, I am certain you would not be stuck. If you weren't wrapped around the chair, you would not be held under the table. You would not be held up by the chair.”
“Will you hug me, Twilight Sparkle?” Rainbow Dash said. “I am scared under the table. I need a hug when I am scared. A hug would help me not be scared, Twilight Sparkle. I need you to wrap your arms around me and stop me from being scared.”
“It is too hot to hug you, Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight Sparkle. “The temperature is much too hot for me to give you a hug. You have too much heat for me to wrap my arms around you.”

2691009

Well, I did say it was clearer in its meaning. There's stuff missing from the verse version that's in the prose, but I think I managed to save the baby at least.

I also think the poem's better. I'm a better poet than I'll ever be a writer which isn't saying much

2691148

I'm not allowed to explain things; people have complained in the past.

Just rejoice in the fact that I'm deceased and any interpretation you want to make is as valid as anything I might've said.

2692167

>not iambic
>not at least three internal rhymes

Do you even haiku?

Firebirdbtops