Saturday, November 20, 2010

One Art - Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster,

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster. 

A beautiful poem about the art of losing. Have you ever thought of losing in this way - taking the grief to a level of art? I think she is telling us it is hard and very hard when you lose family,  friend or a lover or someone really close to you. I like it when she says 'the art of losing's not too hard' in the last part of the poem.....ha! Caught you!! - It is indeed VERY hard to master this art. 

A lovely poem about loss and trying to come to terms with it.

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