Poetry is the skin that I have between my body and the world's body.

I wanted many of the poems to have long legs. At first I was calling them clothespin poems, before I knew what I was doing. The lines seem pulled on either end, tight and taut against the wind.

I want a poem which is made of compression, passion, precision, symmetry, & disruption.

That's what interests me in poetry. That withholding, that white space, the pressure, and my long-term faith in violent concision, is still with me.

I am fascinated with criminal law because it is as rigorous as a poem and because it is based on what has been written down even before one has committed a crime.

I came to poetry because I felt I couldn't live properly in the real world.

At the heart of my life is the idea that I don't ever want anything to ever change. That's the basic tenet.

Every thing is changing every minute.

Confession may well be a dirty word in poetry.

Find joy in simplicity and positivity.

We often confuse what we wish for with what is.

I personally do not believe in politics, hatred, or anger in my musical composition.

I like fish and a lot of seaweed, but I don't eat bread or dairy or anything like that. It's kind of like in the macrobiotic world. I'm just a healthy eater who loves to juice.

Isolation and loneliness create the conditions for rapid aging. The key is to stay connected and open to new relationships throughout your life.

When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.

In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.

It is God's will to bless us, but not necessarily on our terms. Sometimes what we think would be a wonderful blessing would not bless us at all.

Wherever you turn, there is always something wrong with the politicians. They have everything they need to save the world, and they don't save it.

The only option is politeness-remember always that you are dealing with other primates.