I wrote poetry off and on in high school, when I could manage to get out of gym classes and sports - using my allergies as an excuse - and climb the hill behind school till I found a nice place to settle down with a notebook and look at Spokane spread out below. Carolyn Kizer allergyclassclimb share on social
Everybody interprets things differently with their own perception, and I want poetry to pull out of them their own feelings. John Trudell differentlyfeelinginterpret Change image and share on social
I didn't start off as a journalist; I started off as a poet. My ambition was to practise poetry. Then I found journalism, but that other voice never fled from me. Ta-Nehisi Coates ambitionfindflee Change image and share on social
The mystic purchases a moment of exhilaration with a lifetime of confusion; and the confusion is infectious and destructive. It is confusing and destructive to try and explain anything in terms of anything else, poetry in terms of psychology. Basil Bunting confuseconfusiondestructive share on social
I've always had a love for poetry and when I got signed to a record label I thought, 'How odd that I'm doing a record before a book of poetry,' Jewel bookhavelabel Change image and share on social
If you put a real leaf and a silk leaf side by side, you'll see something of the difference between Homer's poetry and anyone else's. There seem to be real leaves still alive in the 'Iliad,' real animals, real people, real light attending everything. Alice Oswald aliveanimalattend share on social
I enjoy listening to contemporary rock on the college stations while I'm taking long walks, love gospel and soul music, am fascinated by hip-hop and rap as the new kind of urban 'beat' poetry and, come to think of it, find something interesting about just any kind of music. Oscar Hijuelos beatcollegecontemporary share on social
Daydreaming is one of the key sources of poetry - a poem often starts as a daydream that finds its way into language - and walking seems to bring a different sort of alertness, an associative kind of thinking, a drifting state of mind. Edward Hirsch alertnessassociativebring share on social
As things get worse, poetry gets better because it becomes more necessary. Eileen Myles badlypoetrything Change image and share on social
For my part, if I consider poetry as an object, I maintain that it is born of the necessity of adding a vocal sound (speech) to the hammering of the first tribal music. Eugenio Montale addbearhammer Change image and share on social
