Starting out, excitement fills the air,
And on your mind the journey to come.
Eyes widen when laid out before,
A mountain of pieces to endure.

As time goes on a structure forms.
Corners made the boundaries,
branching from them the others fall–
Eyes fixed on reaching the core.

Times They question the path They took,
as stress grows inside to take Them.
They say, "One small break" –
weeks and weeks the puzzle sits.

Finally Their mind is cleared,
and pieces find their way once more.
Now at the end Your heart is racing,
One piece left to make You whole.

Yet this piece, so crucial, can't be found.
Their hard work cut so short.
Left unfinished, You walk away,
one more puzzle They could not build.
© J.D.L