I do believe that a poem needs to remind the reader of his or her own humanity, of what they are, of what they're capable of. Awaken them, in a sense, to the fact that there's a world in front of their eyes, that they have a body, they're going to die, the sky is beautiful, it's fun to be in a grassy field when the sun is shining—those kinds of things.

The highest levels of consciousness are wordless.

Poetry is an orphan of silence. The words never quite equal the experience behind them.

There’s no preparation for poetry.

I'm not a stickler for truth. To me, lying in poetry is much more fun. I'm against lying in life, in principle, in any other activity except poetry.

When people ask me how to find happiness in life I tell them, First learn how to cook.

A poem is an invitation to a voyage. As in life, we travel to see fresh sights.