Ten Pieces are Missing

ten pieces are missing
from the puzzle
so we laugh and are happy
her lips split into a smile
as her chubby hand spreads the picture across the carpet
her mind was filling with the sounds of the picture
lullabies and poetry
the room smelled like wetness and tasted like crushed violets
and felt exactly the way yellow
should feel
bright and warm and two-dimensional
anything could happen now
everything could change and the sounds could become
nightmares and bitterness
the room could become cold and tired and if we find
those last ten pieces
it could become colorless and real

but for now
her face is bright
ready for warmth and violets,
wetness and yellow

ten pieces are missing
and so we laugh
and are happy.