I despair of ever writing excellent poetry. Isaac Rosenberg despairexcellentpoetry Change image and share on social
Anticipating that most poetry will be worse than carrying heavy luggage through O'Hare Airport, the public, to its loss, reads very little of it. Russell Baker airportanticipatebadly Change image and share on social
The poetry that sustains me is when I feel that, for a minute, the clouds have parted and I've seen ecstasy or something. Rita Dove cloudecstasyfeel Change image and share on social
Back then, I was an acoustically-oriented artist. Honestly, 'Poetry Man' wouldn't have been my first choice. Phoebe Snow acousticallyartistback Change image and share on social
Romance like a ghost escapes touching; it is always where you are not, not where you are. The interview or conversation was prose at the time, but it is poetry in the memory. George William Curtis conversationescapeghost Change image and share on social
When you translate poetry in particular, you're obliged to look at how the writer with whom you're working puts together words, sentences, phrases, the triple tension between the line of verse, the syntax and the sentence. Marilyn Hacker lineobligephrase share on social
If I have to make a self-portrait, I would put poetry and rebellion on the list. To be able to walk on a wire, to be able to juggle six hoops, you need focus, another word for tenacity, which is passion. Philippe Petit focushoopjuggle share on social
Poetry is a pure meritocracy. There's no room for ambiguity: either a poem moves you and opens up new vistas in life, or it doesn't. It's completely objective, and the best always rise to the top. Jim Goetz ambiguitycompletelylife Change image and share on social
The first function of poetry is to tell the truth, to learn how to do that, to find out what you really feel and what you really think. June Jordan feelfindfunction Change image and share on social
A great many people seem to think writing poetry is worthwhile, even though it pays next to nothing and is not as widely read as it should be. Mark Strand greatpaypeople Change image and share on social
