Unfinished - a poem

I am a work of art, only unfinished.

I am a block of marble at which to chip way
I am the dawn, noon, and dusk of another day
I am spinning on a potter’s wheel, a curvaceous vase of clay
And you may look upon me, a work in progress, and say:
‘Who do you think you are?’
And I will reply:
I am a work of art, only 
Unfinished

I am a sonnet, an aria, a love story untold
I am the red pen, strikethrough, italics and bold 
I am a hit Broadway play without a ticket yet sold 
And you may hear me, a 27th draft, and scold: 
‘Who do you think you are?’
And I will reply:
I am a work of love, only
Unfinished

I am a canvas on which paint will never dry
I am a one-woman tango learning on the fly
I am a plane out of smoke writing in the sky
And you may roll your eyes, and ask why I even try
And I’ll reply:
I am unfinished.
Finished, never will I be.
A work in progress, rather, is always free.
Free to crack the marble, warp the clay
To fail, to learn, go on day after day
To toil to our hearts’ content
Until our writing is backwards and paintbrushes are bent

I am exactly what I want to be:
I am unfinished. 
Beautifully, magically, ravenous—

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Unfinished was written in Springbrook, in the Gold Coast Hinterland, on a ‘Relax and Write Retreat’ run by Australian author, Edwina Shaw. Inspired by the women attending—writers who ranged from 25 to 80, the poem reflects the joy of giving up perfectionism and negative self-talk. To paraphrase a favourite of mine from Elizabeth Gilbert: when you take away the snarling tone, ‘Who do you think you are?’’ is rather a kind and gorgeous question.

‘Small poppy syndrome’ is something I constantly struggle with—I have kept myself small, avoided putting myself or my work out there for fear of embarassment. I’m even embarassed writing about it now. If you’re not from Australia or New Zealand, know that this sentiment is felt broadly across our cultures and it’s a constant battle absolutely worth fighting.

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Unfinished was originally performed at the retreat and later published by Edwina Shaw on her website.