The final piece
You open up the box
Turning the box around, you scatter the pieces
One by one, you sense the pieces around and try to find the place for them in your mind
It takes some time and patience to figure out what to do
The picture that was fuzzy and chaotic in front of you starts making more and more sense
Until it becomes clear the pieces that are needed
But when the end is in sight, there is a piece that you cannot seem to find for in your puzzle
There are many at your disposal, but none seem to fit the place you want to put it in
Some stick a bit out, others seem too short and others are just too big
The problem here is that you cannot change their shape
You cannot cut, increase or even colour them differently
What to do, you may ask, to one who has made plenty of puzzles
If you stick a piece too big, it will ruin it, so those are to be discarded
If the colour is not completely right, you find the one that is most similar to the place you want to fill
And you find the piece that is most similar in shape that can fit there
You may argue that it is cheating, as you wanted for it to look perfect
But puzzles aren’t made with replacement parts in mind
They have no number on their back that allows you to say that it is that one that is missing to order one
Even if it did, new ones are coming out everyday
Why would the puzzle company keep spares for all of them
It is much easier for you just to get a new one to make
You can’t make a piece to size
It is not your job to do so
They come as they are
You may just choose to quit making the puzzle, but so much effort has already been placed assembling it
If you really like it, why leave it there, hoping for that piece to appear
You have to work with what you have
Perhaps that smaller piece can work well in that space
Perhaps the dust of time will have the ability to help it settle in that space, firm and strong
Showing to all that that irregular piece has a place of its own on your puzzle
Original and out of place as you are
The correct piece for your incorrect desire
The best piece that your mind may find
The last one you will ever need