“Walk around feeling like a leaf.
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Know you could tumble any second.
Then decide what to do with your time.”
– Naomi Shihab Nye
With the festive season upon us, the questions of appearance and disappearance might be fraught for some. While some people light up at the prospect of a prolonged trundle of social and familial engagements, others might just want to retreat to their winter solitude, undisturbed. Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem, The Art of Disappearing, offers solace to the latter, in her reminder of the profound peace found in withdrawing from an unending, unrewarding social carousel, and embracing the quiet dignity of solitude. This poem is a tribute to the value of quiet moments that encourages us to engage the tranquility found in our own company and the serene wisdom of choosing when to step into the light and when to fade into the shadows.
The Art of Disappearing
When they say Don’t I know you?
say no.
When they invite you to the party
remember what parties are like
before answering.
Someone is telling you in a loud voice
they once wrote a poem.
Greasy sausage balls on a paper plate.
Then reply.
If they say We should get together
say why?
It’s not that you don’t love them anymore.
You’re trying to remember something
too important to forget.
Trees. The monastery bell at twilight.
Tell them you have a new project.
It will never be finished.
When someone recognizes you in a grocery store
nod briefly and become a cabbage.
When someone you haven’t seen in ten years
appears at the door,
don’t start singing him all your new songs.
You will never catch up.
Walk around feeling like a leaf.
Know you could tumble any second.
Then decide what to do with your time.
Naomi Shihab Nye
From: Words Under the Words: Selected Poems
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