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I like to think that I'm a sort of poet for our times.

I don't try to call myself a poet. But I know that my stuff is pretty literal, in that the themes are pretty simple and on the surface.

I always thought that poetry is the verdict that others give to a certain kind of writing. So to call yourself a poet is a kind of dangerous description. It's for others; it's for others to use.

Well, I still write poetry, but I wouldn't call myself a poet.

Nearly all men and women are poetical, to some extent, but very few can be called poets. There are great poets, small poets, and men and women who make verses. But all are not poets, nor even good versifiers. Poetasters are plentiful, but real poets are rare. Education can not make a poet, though it may polish and develop one.

To be a poet is a condition rather than a profession.

I'm a poet, and I spent my life in poetry.

The poet is someone, I think, who's interested in registering experience immediately or giving you the sense of immediacy and directness.

Well, I like to write poetry. I'm a published poet.