One Art

The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intend
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 mothers 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 loved) I shan’t have lied.Its evident
The art of losing isn’t hard to master
Though it may look(write it !)like disaster
Elisabeth Bishop