The Puzzle - 2/17/2002 There's a puzzle sitting here. I must have put it together Hundreds of times. I lost the box years ago, But it doesn't matter Because I know the picture By heart. The greens, and blues, The way the lights and shadows look On everything in the puzzle, It's all memorized. The pieces are worn From being used so much And from all those times When someone tried to Force two pieces together That just didn't belong. Even the colors are faded now. But I still know How the puzzle should look, How it used to look, When the pieces come together, Even if some of the pieces are lost. I could probably draw them myself Or make new ones, To try to have things The way they were so long ago. But I think I'll leave it this way, And be sure to remind myself It has character.