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.
So many things have been lost since January, since November, since Trump entered the primaries. I knew it would be catastrophic; it has been worse that I imagined. So many things have been lost.
Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.
Those of us who read and watch and listen and argue are trying to sustain our outrage, our righteous indignation. But something has been lost every day: some dignity, some decorum, some civilization, some goodness.
Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.
We’ve lost bigger and more: we’ve lost justice, we’ve lost respect, we’ve lost wisdom and learning. The disaster is visible across the next ridge, letting us feel it’s not quite here yet; as if the loss is manageable.
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.
Tragedy has become old-hat; the water we are submerged in. The small indignities, so close; the deep-seated injustices, so far and insurmountable.
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.
A few cities and islands under water, under rubble. People lost to hatred, lost to violence, lost to a carelessly indifferent bureaucracy. Rule of law, lost to fear and submission. Principles, lost to cynicism and expediency.
And swimming in the mess of loss, my awareness, my intention and attention, my compassion. Last night, the woman who asked for me softly and clearly had to repeat herself several times for me to look up from my phone. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any cash.” Who asked for my leftovers, “I’m sorry—it’s takeout for my family’s meal,” whose voice still didn’t really enter into my mind and my heart. Only after I drove away, did I realize what I had lost: “For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat.” Lost: one open heart, one opportunity to comfort, one love—the only important one of the moment. 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.
In the face of so much loss, I am finding a small, tangible way to help today. It won’t feed the hungry person I didn’t feed. But it is one small thing, for one family, struggling in the face of injustice. If you are looking for one small, tangible way to help today, please consider helping Mohamed and his family, who have done every single thing they were supposed to do as American immigrants and who had their rights and what is right violated. (This gofundme is administered by a long-time family friend who is a friend of Mohamed’s family, an educator, and an advocate).
Protect Immigrant Rights: GoFundMe
Mohamed is a friend, father, and husband who has been a hardworking member of southwest Ohio since emigrating to the U.S. with asylum status from West Africa almost a decade ago.
Despite having a green card (U.S. permanent resident status), he was abducted from his home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials almost three months ago without an immediate charge and imprisoned in a local jail that doubles as an ICE detention facility. Once charged and brought before the court, charges were dismissed, but the prosecutor immediately appealed the ruling and requested that he continue to be detained until the appeals process runs its course as their investigation is ongoing. The prosecutor apparently hopes to get Mohamed’s green card voided along with the rest of his family and have them deported.
The judge granted Mohamed release on a $10,000 bail since he has only ever been in good standing with the law. As the primary earner for his family, who has children in school (both k-12 and higher education), that amount is well beyond what is possible at this time, especially since he has lost three months of wages and social capital with those who depend on his work.
There are even more losses and hardships in sight because if his family is unable to raise $10,000 before October 3rd, Mohamed will remain in ICE captivity for the duration of the appeals process and the entire family will struggle to make ends meet.
Please consider sharing this with anyone you know who is interested in making a difference in the lives of their neighbors and the most vulnerable among us. It will make a big difference for him and his family. The targeting and harassment of our friends and neighbors must stop. Thank you for lending your support in whatever way you can!