Incomplete puzzles have missing pieces,
A pile here has the mix,
That put together, an answer releases,
Like a structure composed with bricks.

I have a hint, some images wild,
The sequence may, of course, be logical,
And, beauty calls it to be compiled,
Not too rash or too prodigal.

Like a dig with an archaeological shovel,
The piece finds an aesthetic whole,
Interpretation is part of the puzzle,
A message lives again in the scroll.

Preserve the image under glass,
No pieces can then drift away,
Stationary, the image shows some class,
So wondrous, with a sense of fey.

Francis Conlon is a retired and recovering teacher. For the past 20 years, he has worked as a seasonal river ranger and boat inspector at Yampa River State Park in northwest Colorado. He has published in the local Valley Voice and in Westward Quarterly. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.