Animal Puzzle

1,000 mismatched pieces
scattered in several piles.
I try my best to organize them,
connecting patterns and
colors into separate sections.
It takes a lot of time
and many podcast episodes
to become less confused
about what's in front of me.
The border comes together in a few days.
From there, with much trial and error,
I form a zebra, flamingo,
tiger, and hedgehog.
A week in, I realize
I have some of the border mixed up.
I detach the tree and focus on
working from the bottom up.
Slowly but surely the giraffe
is coming into view.
The tiger is halfway there, 
the cheetah is missing two pieces.
My organized piles intersect
the further I get.