Weekend Poem In Your Post Blog Hop! "One Art"

This week you get a wonderful villanelle from Elizabeth Bishop.  I've been working on one wildly imperfect villanelle myself, and pretty sure the process will have to be its own reward; the form is wonderful to work as a puzzle, but wow is it difficult to do well.  Chalk one up to The Creative Habit's impact on me: stretching through complexity toward insight.  It makes Bishop's success here even more awe-inspiring.

One Art

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!) a disaster.

                                    - Elizabeth Bishop

Isn't that wonderful? 

Now it's time for you to share your favorite intricately-shaped poem or one about losing or winning or trying.  Or whatever poem you like.  Simply put a poem in your post or leave one in the comments here any time this weekend...

Please make sure to link back to this poetry blog hop if you post on your blog.  That way the other poetry-posters might connect with readers on your own blog.

And please do support the poets who change us with their art.  Poets.org is a great place to start.

MFB,

L