You've read some of the poems in this new unpublished book [Walker's Alphabet], e.g., the poem "C." I have a number of poems whose titles are letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F.

I don't really get into the power sufficiently, and that's also a problem for me.

In some ways it is absurd for me to assert, counter to evidence, that I have not been writing.

Poetics is a science for stammering poets.

I really felt neurotic - it was a neurotic reason - but I had to teach very, very well. That sucked up a lot of oxygen from my time and my creative thinking.

Poetry has roots, and sometimes they are aerial. Sometimes they are buried.

I'm always resisting [my muse]. I'm resisting her power.