The future of Afghanistan is incredibly dark, and decisions are happening incredibly quickly.

I think most good poetry is about suffering; I think that's what underlies the love in these landays pieces - suffering and longing.

In most of the world, poetry has such a different reputation than it does in Western culture.

Poetry allows me to write about what I don't know, whereas journalism demands a higher level of certainty to be worthy of being written.

My upbringing was pretty interesting. It was a rigorous, intellectual upbringing, but with the idea that we were a part of an important and legitimate enterprise. What that meant was sitting around the dinner table from a really early age with people from all different backgrounds who believed in God. When I was reporting in the wake of September 11th in Iraq and elsewhere, I felt I had the capacity to talk to people whose beliefs might sound outlandish to more secular journalists. I felt like I could be a translator between those two worlds.

Poetry isn't as relevant in the Western world as it is in Afghanistan. And not many people make time for something that doesn't feel relevant.

I can't imagine how Afghanistan's fall isn't going to be ten times faster than Iraq's.