If Any Of Us Hopes To Survive,

My Father Was Very Intense, Passionate And Over-the-top. He Was My Hero And My Tyrant.

As A Poet And Writer, I Deeply Love And I Deeply Hate Words. I Love The Infinite Evidence And Change And Requirements And Possibilities Of Language; Every Human Use Of Words That Is Joyful, Or Honest Or New, Because Experience Is New... But As A Black Poet And Writer, I Hate Words That Cancel My Name And My History And The Freedom Of My Future: I Hate The Words That Condemn And Refuse The Language Of My People In America.

Maybe The Purpose Of Being Here, Wherever We Are, Is To Increase The Durability And Occasions Of Love Among And Between Peoples.

Poetry Is A Political Act Because It Involves Telling The Truth.

The Music Of Language Became Extremely Important To Me, And Obvious To Me. By The Time I Was Seven I Was Writing Myself. I Was A Poet