By practice and conviction formed, With ancient stubbornness ingrained, Although her body clung and swarmed, My own identity remained.

Far out of sight forever stands the sea, Bounding the land with pale tranquillity.

And one rose in a tent of sea and gave A darkening shudder; water fell away; The whale stood shining, and then sank in spray.

The land is numb. It stands beneath the feet, and one may come Walking securely, till the sea extends Its limber margin, and precision ends.

The poet's first job of work is to put bread on the table.

The passion to condense from book to book Unbroken wisdom in a single look, Though we know well that when this fix the head, The mind's immortal, but the man is dead.

The rain of matter upon sense Destroys me momently. The score: There comes what will come.

Even though poetry was written for the 'minds ear' as well as the physical ear, the minds ear can be trained only by the other ... which comes back to reading poetry aloud.

Reptilian green the wrinkled throat, Green as a bough of yew the beard; He bent his head, and so I smote

The morning behind the dark mist, the mighty and gracious cloud in the sky, scepter of power to the modest grounds yielding fruitfulness, you are the ALMIGHTY.

Our vocabulary may become a real time algorithmic word bank. Could you imagine having a conversation like that? Where the meaning of words constantly adapts?

A marriage, willy-nilly, requires you to trust that your spouse will tell your story truthfully and lovingly when you are no longer around to tell it yourself.

Nothing is impossible for the person who doesn't have to do it.

My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.

Art is the attention we pay to the wholeness of the world.

If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.

The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded.

I'd be flattered if someone said that my work is "too weird" for them. I value the uncompliment.

Love's dominion, like a kings, admits of no partition.