I try to show what it is about language and music that enthralls, because I think those are the two elements of poetry.

I think if you put something in a file that says "war poems" or "love poems" that you already restrict the way in which the poem might move.

When I was young, I was older than I am today.

I have a high guilt quotient. A poem can go through as many as 50 or 60 drafts. It can take from a day to two years - or longer.

I thought, after the Pulitzer, at least nothing will surprise me quite that much in my life. And another one happened. It was quite amazing.

I see a resurgence of interest in poetry. I am less optimistic about the prospects for the arts when it comes to federal funding.

You have to imagine it possible before you can see something. You can have the evidence right in front of you, but if you can't imagine something that has never existed before, it's impossible.