Everyone had always told me I had to see alpine flowers, since I was writing about flowers, and I had never seen these. So I happened to be teaching a class at the University of Colorado, and I got to go for hikes that took me there. But my perspective was most often down at ground level, trying to see quite tiny exquisite flowers.

I'm really interested in what you remember, how you remember, what your perspective is as opposed to somebody else's.

I know that in some ways I operate from a kind of antiquated interest in imagery, while many contemporary poets are not so interested in imagery. I think part of it is my training, and just my visual sense of things.

I prefer always to think that I am creating a book, not a series of stand-alone poems.

I think those of us who use language are always trying for this, trying to keep everything from floating away by trying to write about it despite failure.

I can't remember the past, or I can't see very clearly, or I've gotten older and the person I was isn't there anymore, and the place I grew up isn't where I live now.

If it's a drop of dew, it will dissolve.