Unfinished

Schubert had a symphony He didn’t quite complete, Though the parts he finished writing, We consider quite a feat. David Foster Wallace Left his novel not quite done; Still, the accolades accorded it Have piled up, one by one. Many things have value Even though they are unfinished. An artist’s reputation means Their worth has not diminished. For projects may be started But not make it to the end. We cannot know the message The remainders did portend. Perhaps the final passages Might not have satisfied; The composer might have tossed them And committed symphocide. So we are left critiquing Works abandoned halfway through. Might they be much better finished? We don’t really have a clue.