Hang up each blouse carefully
in a perfect closet rainbow.
Line up shoes accordingly
tennis shoes to jelly sandals.
Arrange pencils precisely
dull to sharp.
Adjust necklace chains delicately
black to silver.
Stack books purposefully
heavy bottom to chapter top.
Fold sheets meticulously
corner to corner.

Finally sit on carpet clear of chaos.
Slide open favorite puzzle like a gift
and dump it in a heap of purples, grays and blues.
Search for slivers of yellow first
before the others come in to darken it up.
Analyze each shape. Predict where they go
with a sigh of relief. Run fingers
along every edge before finding the spot
it was always meant to be.

Stare at finished masterpiece,
hoping one day it will all stay perfect
and force the jagged pieces of my 7-year-old life
that keep going missing
to finally fit together.