The Puzzle

by sarahjane97

Published September 30, 2011

In Poetry

Spoiler! :
I've had an intense case of writer's block for the past two months, so this may be a little rough. Feel free to tear it apart now, haha. :D


The pieces meld seamlessly
into a picture of a family
smiling,
laughing,
loving.
The little girl smiles back—
this puzzle is easy-peasy.

Her chubby hand darts out
eager,
impatient,
greedy,
ready to add the last piece
and seal the moment forever.

But the last piece won't fit
and the girl's smile quickly fades.
Pushing,
shoving,
wheezing,
she tries to force the piece
into a place where it doesn't belong.

Mommy snatches the piece away—
“Stop, baby, stop!”
“But Mommy,” the girl protests.
“It won’t fit. It’s the wrong piece!”
“No baby,” Mommy whispers.
“It’s just the wrong puzzle.”

Comments & reviews · 5
User avatar
michaeld
Review
michaeld wrote a review Review · Oct 3, 2011

I loved this poem so much! Your poetry is indescribable and I look up to your writing skills! You are very, very, very talented! Now back to this poem :P Here are a few nitpicky things :)

sarahjane97 wrote:But the last piece will not fit I think you should just change "will not fit" into "won't fit" as it is a bit easier to read and makes the poem flow better :)
and the girl's smile quickly fades.


sarahjane97 wrote:But the last piece will not fit
and the girl's smile quickly fades.
Pushing,
shoving,
wheezing, it needs to be 'pushing, shoving, wheezing; she tries to force the piece into a place where it doesn't belong.' just a simple typo :P
she tries to force the piece
into a place where it doesn't belong.


that's all I could find! I really enjoyed reading this and the message was amazing! I don't think I'll ever be able to write as well as you :P Once again amazing story! Keep writing! BRAVO

User avatar
Tenyo
Review
Tenyo wrote a review Review · Oct 1, 2011

Hey Sarah

Hurray for the demolition of That Which Must Not be Named (that you mentioned in the spoiler.)

This piece made me smile. I agree with the others, it was a bit of a rollarcoaster, but at the same time I liked that. The twist at the end is great. I think what I like most is that it is a multi-dimensional poem. There are so many ways of looking at it, and even after reading it over a few more times I didn't tire of it. Personally I think it's great as it is, adding too much more will probably dull down the effect.

Good work! Keep it up :)

User avatar
Miyakko
Review
Miyakko wrote a review Review · Oct 1, 2011

Hey sarahjane97,

This was pretty good. I think better structure is what's needed in this poem. So, having lines
that are around the same length and lines that are more lyrical. This'll create better flow and
make it more poem-sounding.

Also, please throw in heaps more emotion! I felt sadness and pity for this girl, and I feel that
this poem has much potential for richer and raw emotion, helping the audience to connect to
the little girl better and feel for her more.

Otherwise, I like the concept of it. Really great. It definitely has a deeper meaning to it, which
is pointed out in the last stanza. Oh! That's is! Be a little clearer with the conversation going
on between the mother and girl in this stanza, so the message slaps the reader in the face!

I also really liked the motif you used of a 'puzzle'. Really great and you used this idea very well.
Let me know if you've got questions or if I've left you a little confused!

Miyakko.

User avatar
crescent
Comment
crescent commented Comment · Oct 1, 2011

Hello there. I love the symbolism/metaphors in this poem. It was lovely. Hope the writer's block stays away! (not here to review)

AngelKnight900 wrote a review Review · Oct 1, 2011

Hmm....this really got me thinking so as I write this, I can't really just post an opinion about it right off the bat. I feel a lot of happiness in the beginning and than I start to feel pity. It was like a roller coaster actually. My general opinion or thought about the poem is that the girl tries to have this picture perfect family or life but turns out that life is not for her but she wants it so badly. Feel free to tell me if I'm wrong. I can't find much mistakes about this so now all I can say is to keep writing :D



I understand what you're saying, and your comments are valuable, but I'm gonna ignore your advice.
— Roald Dahl