For me, poetry is the music of being human. And also a time machine by which we can travel to who we are and to who we will become.

I like to use simple words, but in a complicated way.

Poets deal in writing about feelings and trying to find the language and images for intense feelings.

You can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what's in your heart.

Poetry, above all is a series of intense moments ­ its power is not in narrative. I'm not dealing with facts, I'm dealing with emotion.

I write quite a lot of sonnets, and I think of them almost as prayers: short and memorable, something you can recite.

Poetry and prayer are very similar.

It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.

Like the sand and the oyster, it's a creative irritant. In each poem, I'm trying to reveal a truth, so it can't have a fictional beginning.

When you have a child, your previous life seems like someone else's. It's like living in a house and suddenly finding a room you didn't know was there, full of treasure and light.

Christmas is taken very seriously in this household. I believe in Father Christmas and there's no way I'd do anything to undermine that belief.

When there is nonjudgmental love then there is no giving up.

It was a terrible thing, to love and not know whether you were loved in return, it led to the worst sensations--jealousy, rage, self-loathing--to all these lesser states.

I know what it is to put on weight. But when I got back to my routine, my body knew how to react. That's muscle memory, and you'll be amazed at what it can do.

Domestic goddesses have infiltrated everybody's lives and raised the bar way too high.

Where there is the necessary technical skill to move mountains, there is no need for the faith that moves mountains.

If I'm not feeling good, I load on jewelry. It gives me energy and makes me feel happy.

I disagree with a lot of things, but hey, what a person does is between them and their maker. I can disagree with somebody, and I can still be friends with them.

Writing is like a sport - you only get better if you practice

America gains most when individuals have great freedom to pursue personal goals without undue government interference.

Stay open and curious, and realize that the best is yet to come.