Puzzle Pieces
by Odin Roark

How troublesome the process
This jigsaw puzzlement of completion

That piece of apology
Impatiently gnawing at conscience
Never uttered
Forever evading the moment

The congratulatory gesture
Ever studied for the right angle
The approach that would empower
Not merely pander to an ego

The closure unattended
Acceptance of grieving’s unfamiliar form
The not-yet-ready release from
Mistake’s stubbornly suffocating choke

Even saying I love you
Remains held in abeyance
Fearful of misjudged reaction
Forcing rejection once again

Yet…

Patience remains as always
Our least respected
And most willing protector

Might forbearance have but one goal?

The simplest move of all

Acceptance of the game

Oh how we question
Engagement of challenge
The forever-perplexing summons
The curves
Angles
Miscalculated chances

When life’s countdown only asks
We respect commitment
Without need for interlocking
For conquest
Or gain

That winning is non sequitur
To mortality’s premise
That always-alive existence
Provides tireless refinement
For the countless puzzle pieces
Yet to ponder