I play with language a great deal in my poems, and I enjoy that. I try to condense language, that is, I try to express complicated but I hope real emotions as simply as possible. But that doesn't mean the poems are simple, just that they are as truthful as I can make them.

I think a poet, like a painter, should be a craftsperson.

A hobbyhorse can be a tiring ride for nonenthusiasts.

There comes a time when you have to trust your own judgment, when you must close your eyes and let your instinct rule you.

My earlier poems were sadder than my poems are today, perhaps because I wrote them in confusion or when I was unhappy. But I am not a melancholy person, quite the contrary, no one enjoys laughing more than I do.

I like rhyme because it is memorable, I like form because having to work to a pattern gives me original ideas.

A poem might be defined as thinking about feelings - about human feelings and frailties.