//------------------------------// // Writing Poetry With Maud // Story: Twilight Tries... // by Peni Parker //------------------------------// Hi, everypony, and welcome to another episode of Twilight Tries! I’m really excited for today’s episode for a couple of reasons. Firstly because today I’m going to be trying something that I’ve really wanted to try at some point in my life but never quite had the time for. Until just recently that is. And secondly because this episode I’m going to be joined by a very special guest! But first things first, what it is I’ll be trying today. Today, I’m going to try…writing poetry! I’ve always loved poetry, ever since I was a filly. I still remember the first time I read the works of Quilland Ink and Flourish Prose. They’re poetry really spoke to me and helped develop my overall love of books. Plus they inspired me to someday try and write some poetry of my own, and now that day has finally come! *SQUEE* Oh, but let’s not forget about our very special guest. Now I was given a special introduction by Pinkie Pie that she wanted me to read before revealing to you all who it is that’ll be joining me today. I just have to remember where I put it. Give me a few seconds. . Come on, where did I put that thing? . Ah, here we are. Ahem. ‘Please allow me to introduce the amazing, prolific, most bestest sister ever,’ Most bestest sister ever? *SIGH* We really need to work on your grammar skills, Pinkie. ‘And undoubtedly the future poet laureate of Equestria; Maud Pie!’ Say hi to everypony, Maud! . . Okay, I didn’t mean say, ‘hi to everypony, Maud’, but all right. I’m so happy to have you here with me for this episode, Maud. As a pony who’s written thousands of pieces of poetry I’m sure there’s no shortage of lessons that I can learn from you on the subject. . . NO! I-I mean, that’s okay, Maud. You don’t need to read all of your poems about rocks to me again. I, um, still remember them very well from when you read them to me during your first visit to Ponyville. Mostly because they were all very similar. I was hoping you could maybe tell me how it is you write your poetry. You know, help me understand your thought processes when you’re composing your stanzas and such. . . Well, y-yes, I gathered that you think about rocks since that’s what you write about. But I mean, how do you do things like incorporate literary devices into your work? How do you create metaphors and allegories and those sorts of things that help make your poems as vivid as possible? . . You’re…not really sure how you do those things? Um, all right then. . This is incredibly awkward. . S-Say, why don’t you show us your, um, uniquely creative process for writing poetry. Maybe by watching you work we can get a better understanding of just how it is you’re able to create so many poems. . . Oh, well if you need rocks for inspiration than we can go out back into the garden if you’d like. . . Okay, let’s go. . . . Maud’s just been staring silently at those rocks over there for like ten minutes now. I can’t even tell if she’s still awake or not, let alone what she may be doing to compose poetry. . . What’s that, Maud? You just composed a new poem? . . S-Sure, I’d love to hear it. . . . . Wow. That was a very, um…eloquent and heartfelt poem about rocks. But, could you perhaps tell me how you came up with it. I couldn’t really tell from just watching you look at the rocks. . . You…just thought about how much you love rocks and the words just came to you? I’m afraid I don’t quite understand. . . Huh? What is it that I love? Well, let’s see. I certainly love magic. And I love books too. . . Go back inside, Trixie! And I do not love steamy romance novels that much! . . I SAID GO BACK INSIDE, TRIXIE! I swear, sometimes I really regret letting that pony live in my castle. . . Sorry, Maud, what was that? . . What is it that I love the most? Well, I suppose what I love the most is friendship. It’s thanks to my friends that I’ve become the pony that I am today. My books and my magic have helped with that too, of course, but there’s no denying that friendship has played a pretty massive role in my life. . . You’re saying I should just think about friendship and the words will just come to me? I suppose it’s worth a try. But let’s head on back inside while I do that. . . . I don’t think this is working for me, Maud. I’ve been sitting here for half an hour and I haven’t been able to come up with a poem that expresses my feelings towards friendship. . . Close my eyes? Um, all right. . . You want me to remember my life before I discovered friendship? Okay, I’ll try. . . How do I feel? I feel lonely. And...and cold. . . Now remember how I felt after discovering friendship? All right. . . I feel…warm. Like I’m not alone anymore. *GASP* I think I get it now, Maud! Give me a few minutes to get some ideas written down. Okay, this is what I came up with. Ahem. ‘Cold is the void that exists between the alpha and the omega, It is, by its nature, a vast sea of nothingness, Deprived of any absolute meaning or purpose, Filled only with that which we choose to fill it with,’ ‘We can choose to leave the void as is, A cold and empty realm of darkness, Or we can choose to fill it with bright and warming light, The resplendent light that shines within us all,’ ‘But a lone light can only shine so brightly and for so long, It cannot survive on its own indefinitely, Eventually it will begin to dim and die out, And soon enough the void shall take hold once again,’ ‘It is only by accepting the light of others that we can dispel the void, For together our lights shine far brighter and longer, Until they become as one light, Glowing and burning throughout the whole of eternity,’ ‘It is up to each of us to choose which path we follow, Nopony else can make the decision for us, Do we stand alone within the cold and empty void, Or do we seek out and accept the effulgent light of others.’ How was that, Maud? Do you think it was good? . . It doesn’t matter what anypony else thinks of it? All that matters is what I think of it? I mean I don’t think it’s a masterpiece or anything, but considering that I wrote it from my heart and that it reflects my true feelings towards friendship I suppose I’m satisfied with it. Though I do think there’s room for improvement next time. . . Mm-hmm, I think I will try writing more poetry in the future. This was really fun and I’d love to do it again when I find the time. Thanks for all of your help today, Maud. I really learned a lot about writing poetry from you. . . Oh, you…wrote even more rock poems while I was busy writing my poem. That’s, um…great! . . Oh of course I’d love to hear it. Definitely. I just need a minute to wrap up my video first, okay? . . Okay. Well, everypony, that should do it for today’s episode. As always thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time on Twilight Tries! . . Coming, Maud! Is it wrong for me to hope that she only wrote a couple more poems? I kind of feel guilty about hoping for that.