Puzzling

Working puzzles—
word, carved curvy pieces, life

Puzzles in my brain
Puzzles in our hearts
Puzzles in the body of humanity

Losses before us
Losses behind us
Losses with us

Indiana…
Where Christmas will always
be REAL?
plays in the background
taking me back—
reminding me—
of my personal journey in puzzling,
in loss, in joy, in grief, in growth, in attempting,

accepting, resisting, making peace
with pencil and paper or
picking out and piling up the edge pieces
solving for empty spaces and places in
riddles, wars, rhymes,

somehow. seeking.
feasible. sane. rhythms.
each. new. day.