The Art of Losing Words

With apologies to Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing words is hard to master
The once bloomed flower
Becomes dry, wasted
A true disaster.

Losing your words is catastrophic,
you wonder if they will ever return,
that prolific energy
that exudes onto the page.

Then try with all your strength
not to lose more of your words,
when even devoid of substance
you keep writing nonetheless.

You have lost things over the years:
jewelry, post cards, an occasional knick-knack,
but they are not a matter,
losing your words is the disaster.

I too have lost cities and states,
have started new lives over and over again,
have lost lovers, many of them.
Still nothing compares to losing your words.
It is the ultimate disaster,
the thing that matters.