In this poem I found that Bishop was trying to say that loss is going to happen; it is an expectation that one must accept. The important thing to gain from knowing this is that a person needs to learn how to master the art of losing in order not to be hurt so much by it. Loss is always going to hurt, but by mastering the art of losing one can prevent disaster. It is alright to feel sad, but anything less than total misery is an accomplishment. Also, I noticed how the things listed that she has lost increased with magnitude. I think she is trying to convey that no matter how great the loss, it is possible to endure it and eventually overcome the misery.