//------------------------------// // Petrological Poetry // Story: The Back Shelf // by Dizzy Daze //------------------------------// I think That I Shall never see A poem As lovely as a Rock. Though clocks may Tick and clocks may Tock, I shall always Prefer my Rocks. "Sedimentary" Sedimentary rocks. They're brittle. Brown. Boring. They have a story. They used to be big, But things kept wearing on them Grating them. Eroding them. The rain washed them Away from their troubles. They hid underground, Waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Nothing to do. Nopony to see. Nothing to think about Except what they had left behind. What they had dragged down with them. Years of loneliness. Years of pressure and dirt. They hardened to the world, First with a shell, Then with their hearts. "Igneous" Magma. A rock's beginning, Fiery with heat and Passion. It runs its course. Oozing down hills, Spilling over towns. Destruction. It runs and slides Until it forgets its purpose. Forgets why it's angry. Confused. It pales; Its orange color fades, Leaving it Alone. Cold. Gray. It's fragile, Oh, so fragile. But shiny And beautiful And calm. "Metamorphic" Rocks are hard. Rocks are big. Rocks are strong. Ponies think rocks are permanent. A rock is a rock is a rock. "A rock cannot change." Do they know that nothing's permanent? Rocks change, the same as ponies: With time. But change isn't always bad. Marble comes after limestone, Stronger and more beautiful. Change can be a gneiss thing, too. "Worldly Words" Rocks are everywhere. The ground. The cliffs. The oceans. Rocks can be as big as a boulder Or as small as Boulder. Minuscule grains of sand Or tall, looming mountains. We owe so much to rocks. Our houses. Our heat. Our jewels. Other ponies think rocks are boring. Rocks are my world. They're everypony's world. Literally. "Rock" I've heard of rock music. Have you? It sounds like it's music made for rocks. But it's not. It sounds calm and quiet. A steady beat. Maybe with lots of drums. I listened to rock yesterday. It didn't sound like rocks. It sounded loud. Crazy. Did I mention loud? It felt like rock Was banging rocks around Inside my head. I don't want rocks in my head. Not real rocks, at least. And not rock. I like rocks. I don't like rock.