The Last Cut
	The only thing that matters is the final cut.
The culmination of the work.  The bit that says "Hey!
Here's the end!  It's finished!  Go home!"  The last cut
is the one that people replay forever in their minds,
because they savor the ultimate moment, the first instant
when they realize, in the aftermath of genius, that what
they are experiencing is perfect.  Perfect bliss.
Perfect sorrow.  Perfect harmony, perfect humiliation,
perfect emotion.
	It's the last track on the CD that you play over
and over and over again.  It's the last tune in the show
that you'll hum for weeks.  It's the last brushstroke on
the canvas, the final click of the puzzle pieces coming
together and fitting just /so/ to let you realize that
/that/ is the finished project, and those two pieces over
there that you thought needed switching before don't need
it.  It's the last move in the card game, the peek at the
three wild cards you just drew and the slow realization
that no matter your opponent's hand, yours is better.
	It's the last thirty yards and the burning in your
legs as you realize that yes, you're in pain, but that guy
in front of you seems to be huffing a little harder, and
if you throw your soul into your soles you might just snap
that ribbon before he does.
	It's the last page of the test with a problem that
makes the class groan in unison while you're busy writing
the answer in the blank space and laughing inwardly
because
	The last bit of studying you did last night
included this nifty bit of information, and you took note
and now you can use it and chuckle at how coincidence
isn't coincidental any more.
	It's the moment you feel the food on your tongue
and taste the juices and let the flavor take your soul and
make it lighter than air.  It's the last five pages of the
novel, where everything happens and you start paying more
attention and you look up and close the cover and say "Oh,
yeah," as you replay the scene in your mind's eye.
	That's what I live for.  The instant replay of the
final few seconds of the game.  The moment that makes you
feel something higher.  That satisfaction that comes not
only with a job well done, but with seeing someone else's
job well done.