Campion is a poet who knows that what a poet sees is nothing without a mixture of formal prowess and emotional insight.

Poetry is an art spoken, as if sung, in relation to other human beings.

I exaggerate. I oversimplify. I generalize. But there’s no cynicism here. American poetry is a mess. Long live American poetry.

American poetry is a mess. Long live American poetry.

For a long time, I saw writing prose as chewing rocks compared to the velocities of writing poetry.

We are sometimes hurt mostly or only not by what happened or is happening to us but by being felt sorry for.

You prove to people that you don’t pay attention to their words when they see that you don’t remember what they tell you earlier.

I wasn’t dying alone. My beloved was dying with me.

The world is full of people who will help you manufacture tornados in order to blow out a match.

Humour ended up being a really useful skill when it came time to be an international television celebrity.

Time is the measure of that which changes.

Or sweetest Shakespeare, Fancy's child!

A city where the Capitol Dome, perforated like a kitchen colander, is the symbol of how secrets are kept.

I think we certainly benefit from social institutions which encourage us towards moral behavior. It's very important to have law. It's very important to have a moral education.

Thats when you know youve found somebody special. When you can just shut the f**k up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.