I’m puzzled, a puzzle

Fragmented segments of everything ‘til now

Jigsawed, jagged, overlapping, yet stippled, laying bare splinters of vulnerability, defect, inadequacy

I can’t wash it clean. I can’t disguise the rot and hurt and stink

I can only append, adjoin, affix

New zigsaws

Pillowy lumps of smiles, warm muffins, time with family

Shards of heartbreak, grief, sour grapes, and lost games of chance

Neat, clean lines for a job well done, a goal achieved, hope for the future

It’s all there, making me me, a me that evolves with each experience

Cocooned in the fragmented segments of everything ‘til now