Elizabeth Bishop

I liked Bishop’s “One Art.” Loss is such a part of our everyday lives. “Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.” I can relate. I lost my house keys just last week. I know everyone else has probably done the same thing. So, losing stuff, people, places, etc. is really something we all have in common. But, sometimes the things we lose have significance. “I lost my mother’s watch” Bishop writes. My cousin lost her engagement ring! As you can imagine, this was devastating for her. Then, Bishop reminds us that this doesn’t mean disaster (although it really feels like it!). I think she even refers to the loss of love (or death of a loved one) “Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love)” in the last stanza of this poem. But, even then we have to move on despite our loss.