…to losing

There is no art to losing
the art is in the finding, the finding of loss
the art is in recognising that loss is intangible
that it cannot be held nor kept for if loss has arrived in our heart
the object of the loss, is lost already
what remains is ours, how we live with it or without it, is a choice
there is no art to losing, we cannot deliberately lose something
for something deliberately left behind, is not lost
we know where we left it and why
there is no art to losing, but then there is loss
the suffering after the fact, after the losing
the dark caverns of loss are deep and desolate
the debris of mourning strewn hither and yon
the chaos unwittingly created in the emotional maelstrom
that inevitably follows the whirlpool of feelings
the heart overwhelmed by memories and doubts
there is no art to losing 
reaching for anything and everything, to make sense of it all
falling willingly into the currents
endlessly moving in ever increasing concentric circles
getting further away from the centre in every rotation
the centre, which is the starting point
the moment when the concept of losing becomes the reality of loss
and we finally understand, that there is no art to losing
© Ann Bagnall