Poem: A Puzzle

This wasn't the poem I wanted to display, but I'm reserving it for another purpose. (Plus I haven't quite finished it). Anyway, this is how I feel when I start writing a poem.

A Puzzle

A poem is a puzzle where
the poet makes up the rules,
the pieces are the words,
and the final picture the theme.
And like the start of any puzzle, all the words are dropped
onto the page, a confusion of tiles that don't make sense.
And once the poet defines the rules of play,
the game begins as the pieces are separated and grouped.
Slowly words form sentences and
as the pile dwindles down,
the game speeds up
as the choices become fewer until at last
the theme finally emerges.
But there's always that one final word
that refuses to cooperate,
no matter how you try to rotate,
flip, spin, reverse or invert it,
the round flange doesn't match the pit
until in a pique of frustration
you slam the word in until it fits.