The Art of Disappearing

The title of the poem “The Art of Disappearing” is hyperbolic, meaning it’s exaggerative. The poet uses metaphor, figurative language, and exaggeration to give the reader advice about getting away from society to spend more time in solitude pursuing things that are “too important to forget” (Line 14) and taking more time to “decide what to do with [their] time” (Line 26).

Throughout the poem the speaker uses hyperbole to exaggerate the tasks a reader must undertake to escape socializing. The title is the first example, in which Shihab Nye calls the act “The Art of Disappearing.” By using this hyperbole, she suggests that getting away from others might require a kind of magic. Instead of merely declining an invitation to a party, it suggests a supernatural power that makes the “disappearing” person more special than those who are still visible.

The speaker advises the reader to be definitive, implying the reader should lie to avoid interacting with strangers and old friends. When others ask, “Don’t I know you?” (Line 1), respond “no” (Line 2) definitively. When people say, “We should get together” (Line 10), readers should ask “why?” (Line 11). In ordinary discourse, this stance might be considered rude, but the speaker is giving the reader permission to be rude if it means getting away from others.

The greatest example is in the second to last stanza when she says, “When someone recognizes you in a grocery store / nod briefly and become a cabbage.” (Lines 18-19) This is impossible. It is obvious the speaker is not being literal but is exaggerating to humorous effect. It makes the speaker seem relatable and playful, at the same time there is a serious message under the comedy.

In the final stanza she advises the reader to “Walk around feeling like a leaf. / Know you could tumble any second” (Lines 24-25). This is a metaphor for death, framed as a leaf to hide its more gruesome connotations, while still getting across the point that time on Earth is fleeting. Her final line “Then decide what to do with your time” (Line 26) explains why she has been advising the reader to step away from people. It is not, as she makes clear earlier, because “you don’t love them anymore” (Line 12) but because the reader, the “you” (Line 1) of the poem, is being more careful with their time, “trying to remember something / too important to forget” (Lines 13-14). This is a humorous and memorable way of explaining how easy it is to get distracted by social interactions and difficult to find privacy for deep thinking about what is important. Although it may be as difficult as a magic act, however, it is valuable to “disappear” long enough to think clearly about how you want to spend your time.