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

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.

You can't be wrong in journalism. Take a wrong turn in journalism, and you are writing fiction. You can take a wrong turn in poetry, and something wonderful can happen.

The power of the voice in rap is about the expression of truth, rather than the expression of some kind of artifice.

Poetry is a popular genre in Afghanistan. If you turned on the radio, there would be a poetry program that would be as popular as The Real Housewives.

Seeing the Afghan women in their burqas, it's easy to say, "Well, they're not as fully aware as I am, so why do I have to worry so much about their plight?" But that's a misunderstanding. They are brutally aware of their station.

Speculation is a fool's game, but I've seen many political projections that look like the Taliban could hold most of the country, and possibly Kabul, within perhaps a short time.