The Art of Losing

gray0328

 

I lost a library card last Tuesday.  

Lost two jackets to the wind before.  

Lost a bus that sped right past me,  

lost pencil tips ground down to dust.  

 

Do you know how it feels to lose  

a whole hour waiting in silence,  

or how a sock’s absence haunts you,  

its partner collapsed, folded in grief?  

 

I lose names like pennies in couches.  

Lose the sun when clouds are too bold.  

Lost a friendship, once, to impatience;  

lost sleep tracing shapes of regret.  

 

But losing, I’ve learned, is an opening.  

A letting go, fingers soft in surrender.  

What’s gone isn’t always a disaster,  

it makes space for whatever comes next.

  • Author: gray0328 (Offline Offline)
  • Published: January 23rd, 2026 10:31
  • Comment from author about the poem: Inspired by Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art"
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 26
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Comments +

Comments3

  • sorenbarrett

    Such a positive approach to loss. I love it and it makes total sense. A wonderful write Gray

    • gray0328

      Thanks my brother for sharing your feedback

      • sorenbarrett

        You are most welcome

      • nephilim56 ( Norman Dickson)

        losing isnt always losing, nice observation

      • soheil khodaparasti

        ‘But losing, I've learned, is an opening’—a line that brings solace to the heaviest of losers, turning loss into a doorway of possibility.



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