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 where I will stumble on every try
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.
For one who is a work in progress is always 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, ravenousl-

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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 and that others might cut me down for daring to try. If you are not from Australia or New Zealand, know that this sentiment is felt broadly across our cultures. While this poem was written in August 2023, it is now January 2025 and I am done with this thinking, with keeping myself small, with tempering my ambition or lowering my voice, because sharing in creative consciousness is magic and that’s what I want in my life.

A friend of mine from the Canberra Romance Writer’s group (and * ahem * internationally bestselling author), Emma Grey, posted on instagram recently about her 100 Rejections, Risks, and Challenges chart that she keeps each year. This is my 2025 Resolution. This poppy is going to grow tall and not let anyone cut me down.

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