a missing piece's story

Music: Pilgrim's Theme by Bukas Palad

Two posts in one day. I'm not even bored. Just...sad, I guess.

I need to reread this anyway, just to remind myself that I don't have to fit with anyone to be able to roll, because I can always roll by myself.

(I seriously want my own copy of the book. Like, seriously.)

I think readers will appreciate the story more if they've read The Missing Piece first. But still, this is beautiful in its own.

The Missing Piece Meets to Big O

By Shel Silverstein

The missing piece sat alone...

waiting for someone

to come along

and take it somewhere.

Some fit...

but could not roll.

Others could roll

but did not fit.

One didn't know a thing about fitting.

And another didn't know a thing about anything.

One was too delicate.

Pop!

One put it on a pedestal...

and left it there.

Some had too many pieces missing.

Some had too many pieces, period.

It learned to hide from the hungry ones.

More came.

Some looked too closely.

Others rolled right by without noticing.

Hi?

It tried to make itself

more attractive...

it didn't help.

It tried being flashy...

but that just frightened away

the shy ones.

At last, one came along

that fit just right.

(roll...)

But all of a sudden...

the missing piece began to grow!

And grow!

"I didn't know

you were going

to grow."

"I didn't know either,"

said the missing piece.

"I'm lookin' for

my missin' piece,

one that won't

increase..."

Ciao...

Oh...

And then one day...

one came along who looked different.

"What do you want of me?"

asked the missing piece.

"Nothing."

"What do you need from me?"

"Nothing."

"Who are you?"

asked the missing piece.

"I'm the Big O,"

said the Big O.

"I think you are the one

I have been waiting for,"

said the missing piece.

"Maybe I am your missing piece."

"But I am not missing a piece,"

said the Big O.

"There is no place you would fit."

"That is too bad," said the missing piece.

"I was hoping that perhaps

I could roll with you..."

"You cannot roll with me,"

said the Big O,

"but perhaps you can roll by yourself."

"By myself?

A missing piece cannot

roll by itself."

"Have you even tried?"

asked the Big O.

"But I have sharp corners,"

said the missing piece.

"I am not shaped for rolling."

"Corners wear off,"

said the Big O,

"and shapes change.

Anyhow, I must say goodbye.

Perhaps we will meet again..."

And away it rolled.

The missing piece was alone again.

For a long time

it just sat there.

Then...

slowly...

it lifted itself up on one end...

Plop!

Then lift...pull...flop...

and flopped over.

It began to move forward...

And soon its edges began to wear off...

Liftpullflopliftpullflop...

And its shape began to change...

And then it was bumping instead of flopping...

And then it was bouncing instead of bumping...

And then it was rolling instead of bouncing...

And it didn't know where

and it didn't care.

It was rolling!

(roll...)

Story with illustrations here.

---

Sometimes I feel like the missing piece--waiting for someone to come along, someone who will "complete me." (Hello Jerry Maguire, I don't want to take lessons from you.) Except that I don't think I want anyone to "complete" me; I want to be complete by myself. I think I'll be able to do better in a relationship that way. And I'm not talking about just romantic relationships either.

(I've been broken for far too long.)

I've been rolling by myself, rough edges and all, for quite a while now; it's just that sometimes, I pause to rest, only to realize that the rough edges are growing back, the already broken parts breaking up some more. Then I push myself to move again, liftrollflopliftrollflop, and I'm not sure anymore if I'm flopping or bumping or bouncing or rolling.

It is only by God's grace that I can continue flopping/bumping/bouncing/rolling, despite everything. And it is only by His grace that I will eventually be complete--complete enough to roll by myself...beside someone who is complete by himself too.