When We Are Touched By Something It's

What Writing Does Is To Reveal.

I Think That When A Poem Can Move Readers Across Generations And Across Its Specific Class Or Race Then It Becomes Truly Classic.

I've Always Felt That The Poems I've Written Which Have Historical Context Are Hopefully Not Just Simply Plucking Something Out Of History And Saying Great, Let's Write About That. In Every Case What Has Happened Is That I've Become Fascinated Or Haunted By Something And Couldn't Shake It.

I Thought, After The Pulitzer, At Least Nothing Will Surprise Me Quite That Much In My Life. And Another One Happened. It Was Quite Amazing.

I Never Think Of My Audience When I Write A Poem. I Try To Write Out Of Whatever Is Haunting Me; In Order For A Poem To Feel Authentic, I Have To Feel I'm Treading On Very Dangerous Ground, Which Can Mean That The Resulting Revelations May Prove Hurtful To Other People. The Time For Thinking About That Kind Of Guilt Or Any Collective Sense Of Responsibility, However, Occurs Much Later In The Creative Process, After The Poem Is Finished.