Here’s a poem for today, January 23, 2026

The Art of Disappearing

by Naomi Shihab Nye

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 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.

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From Words Under the Words: Selected Poems, The Eighth Mountain Press, 1994. NAOMI SHIHAB NYE began composing her first poetry at the age of six. She has published more than thirty-five books and contributed to hundreds of others. Nye has won numerous awards and fellowships. In 2009, Nye was named as one of PeaceByPeace.com’s first peace heroes; she is an active voice for Arab Americans, speaking out against both terrorism and prejudice.

Photograph: Eugenia, from Amours Difficiles by Adriana Lestido.