pieces

woman came from man's rib
so the story goes
created to be helpmeet and companion
but absent, left man with less armor
to protect his heart

plato proposed we were once octolimbed creatures
split by zeus's anger at our presumption
and defiance
now doomed to wander life in search
of our missing halves of soul

either way

one is part of the other and vice versa
and combined
create a larger whole
puzzle pieces from the clay

which do not always match
snug in some regards
rubbing raw in others
and when we are broken
as in this wounded world we often are
our edges catch and rupture

but sometimes
when fractures have healed
and lessons have steeped
and signs have led
and roads have met

we find the companions of our hearts
and finally come home