The parts that embarrass you the most are usually the most interesting poetically, are usually the most naked of all, the rawest, the goofiest, the strangest and most eccentric and at the same time, most representative, most universal... That was something I earned from Kerouac, which was that spontaneous writing could be embarrassing... The cure for that is to write the thing down which you will not publish and which you won't show people. To write secretly... so you can actually be free to say anything you want.

Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does.

I've got enough money to live where I want, but I don't want to move.Go out and have sexual adventures in Burma.

Inside skull vast as outside skull

America, how can I write a holy litany in your silly mood?

who burned cigarette holes in their arms protesting the narcotic tobacco haze of Capitalism

Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent kindness of the soul!