Bloody Christmas, here again, let us raise a loving cup, peace on earth, goodwill to men, and make them do the washing up.

The reason modern poetry is difficult is so that the poet's wife cannot understand it.

I have a theory that if you've got the kind of parents who want to send you to boarding school, you're probably better off at boarding school.

Possibly I've become less funny as I've been happier.

I've said what I'm prepared to say in my poems, and then journalists think that you're going to tell them a whole lot more.

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange The size of it made us all laugh. I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave— They got quarters and I had a half. And that orange it made me so happy, As ordinary things often do Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park This is peace and contentment. It's new. The rest of the day was quite easy. I did all my jobs on my list And enjoyed them and had some time over. I love you. I'm glad I exist.

The interesting thing is that you don't often meet a poet who doesn't have a sense of humour, and some of them do keep it out of their poems because they're afraid of being seen as light versifiers.