What’s Up With the Title?

"One Art" works on two levels; on the first, we can take the meaning of the title from the first line, and assume that the "art of losing" (1.1) is the only art here. However, if we take a closer look at the poem, we see that the art of writing is also in the mix here – and that these two experiences, losing something and crafting a poem, are inextricably interwoven. The "one art" of the title combines loss, coping with loss, and expressing the experience through verse.