Some people are graced with a flow; some people are graced with something less than a flow. I'm one of those.

Well, for one thing, in the tradition of Zen that I've practiced, there is no prayerful worship and there is no affirmation of a deity.

Reality is one of the possibilities I cannot afford to ignore

I do cherish those moments when I can just relax in the hotel room. Because there are a lot of details that have to be taken care of aside from just getting up onstage. You're dealing with a number of human beings whose well-being and safety you're concerned about. There are people I like to meet and talk to in the crew and the band.

Out of the thousands who are known or who want to be known as poets, maybe one or two are genuine and the rest are fakes, hanging around the sacred precincts, trying to look like the real thing.

I don't have any spiritual strategy.

I was 15 when I first became deeply touched by the rhythm and structure of words.