It Was As If Pain Were A

It Was As If Pain Were A Room He Had Entered And The Door Had Been Locked Behind Him.

I Remember Coming Upon Philip Larkin In My 20s In The Early '60s And When Sylvia Plath's "ariel" Came Out It Knocked Me Off My Feet.

I Like It To Be Quiet, And It Usually Occurs In The Morning. There Are Three Or Four Places In My House Where I Can Write And I Like To Keep Moving Around. The Moment I Find Myself Falling Into A Necessary Routine, I Change It. I'd Rather Not Accumulate Superstitions.

I Write Poems To Find Out Why I Write Them

Writing Is A Job, A Craft, And You Learn It By Trying To Write Every Day And By Facing The Page With Humility And Gall. And You Have To Love To Read Books, All Kinds Of Books, Good Books. You Are Not Looking For Anything In Particular; You Are Just Letting Stuff Seep In.