I'm going through life's cycles at an alarmingly fast pace, but my persona has a Peter Pan quality: he doesn't age. Billy Collins agealarminglycycle Change image and share on social
Listeners are kind of ambushed... if a poem just happens to be said when they're listening to the radio. The listener doesn't have time to deploy what I call their 'poetry deflector shields' that were installed in high school - there's little time to resist the poem. Billy Collins ambushcalldeflector share on social
When I discovered the lyric poem, that advanced not by narrative steps but by blocks and layers of imagery, I said, 'Gee, I probably could do that. So let me try that.' Billy Collins advanceblockdiscover Change image and share on social
Very few people have actually read Freud, but everyone seems prepared to talk about him in that Woody Allen way. To read Freud is not as much fun. Billy Collins allenfreudfun Change image and share on social
I just reached the point where plot-driven novels don't hold my interest because I don't care about the fate of characters anymore - whether Emily marries Tom or not, that kind of thing. Billy Collins anymorecarecharacter Change image and share on social
I'm easily frightened, and I've also come to realize that old Catholic guilt or remorse is easily stimulated. Billy Collins catholiceasilyfrighten Change image and share on social
I don't want to sound like an aesthete, but one has to be true to the art. And that means being true to the tradition of the art but also being true to your own artistic vision. Billy Collins aestheteartartistic Change image and share on social
I think what gets a poem going is an initiating line. Sometimes a first line will occur, and it goes nowhere; but other times - and this, I think, is a sense you develop - I can tell that the line wants to continue. Billy Collins continuedevelopinitiate share on social
When you put a poem on a Kindle, the lines are broken in order to fit on the screen. And so instead of being the poet's decision, it becomes the device's decision. Billy Collins breakdecisiondevice Change image and share on social
I think 'accessible' just means that the reader can walk into the poem without difficulty. The poem is not, as someone put it, deflective of entry. Billy Collins accessibledeflectivedifficulty Change image and share on social
