Men and women are not "equal" if "equal" means "exactly the same." Our many puzzlements and indeed unhappinesses come from trying to figure out what the differences really mean, or should mean, or should not mean.

Writing poetry is a state of free float.

Happy as a clam, is what my mother says for happy. I am happy as a clam: hard-shelled, firmly closed.

Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.

Waste not want not. I am not being wasted. Why do I want?

The genesis of a poem for me is usually a cluster of words. The only good metaphor I can think of is a scientific one: dipping a thread into a supersaturated solution to induce crystal formation. I don't think I solve problems in my poetry; I think I uncover the problems.

Without the protection of surliness and levity, all children would be crushed by the past—the past of others, loaded onto their shoulders. Selfishness is their saving grace.