When a poem doesn't work, the first question to ask yourself is, 'Am I telling the truth?'

In my case, the long gaps between my books have got quite a lot to do with lack of confidence. A lot of the time when I'm not writing I start thinking I can't do it.

I've never been more famous than I was, suddenly, in 1986.

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.

I like buying clothes, especially as I get a tax-deductible allowance.

Bloody men are like bloody buses - you wait for about a year and as soon as one approaches your stop two or three others appear.

My heart has made its mind up And I’m afraid it’s you. Whatever you’ve got lined up, My heart has made its mind up And if you can’t be signed up This year, next year will do. My heart has made its mind up And I’m afraid it’s you.