One Art

By: 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 loved 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!) like disaster.


I first heard this poem in the movie In Her Shoes, and I instantly connected with it. I can relate to how Bishop feels about losing, especially when it comes to losing a dear friend, or a loved one. I feel like Bishop's poem is beautifully crafted, and incredibly intimate. Whenever I read this poem, I feel like Bishop is taking me by the hand, and guiding me into her inner thoughts and emotions. I love how she starts out with simple losses, and relates to the reader when talking about accepting "the fluster of lost door keys" or "the hour badly spent" (lines 4-5). Then, the losses gradually become greater, until they feel almost overwhelming to the reader. By creating such overwhelming losses, she leads us into how much more painful it is to lose a loved one. I think it is a wonderful poem.
There are many things that I could learn from "One Art." First of all, I am not very good at order and form. I have ideas, but it is very hard for me to construct them poetically, or delicately lead the reader into what I am trying to say. Sometimes, I "jump the gun," and begin to lay everything out too quickly, before the reader can understand what I am trying to say. Bishop, on the other hand, very meticulously takes the reader where she wants them to go, and where she does not want them to go. I could defiantly learn how to craft my poems better by studying hers. Also, I really like how Bishop puts words together. The last stanza of the poem is excellent, and I would love to be able to strike the same emotion in my work. I think that if I thought outside of the box, or used different methods to in my work, like Bishop, that I would become a better writer.