A man may be born, but in order to be born he must first die, and in order to die he must first awake.

Always the path of American destiny has been into the unknown. Always there arose enough reserves of strength, balances of sanity, portions of wisdom to carry the nation through to a fresh start with ever-renewing vitality.

Poetry is the journal of a sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air.

Poetry is any page from a sketchbook of outlines of a doorknob with thumb-prints of dust, blood, dreams.

And all poets love dust and mist because all the last answers. Go running back to dust and mist.

I see America, not in the setting sun of a black night of despair ahead of us, I see America in the crimson light of a rising sun fresh from the burning, creative hand of God. I see great days ahead, great days possible to men and women of will and vision.

A baby is God's opinion that life should go on.