Conservatives define themselves in terms of what they oppose.

Poetry leads us to the unstructured sources of our beings to the unknown and returns us to our rational structured selves refreshed.

Once every five hundred years or so a summary statement about poetry comes along that we can't imagine ourselves living without.

Children seem naturally drawn to poetry - it's some combination of the rhyme rhythm and the words themselves.

We all need ways to express ourselves and poetry is one of mine.

PC stuff just lowers the general acceptance of good work and replaces it with bogus poetry that celebrates values that in themselves are probably quite worthy.

As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in the days of old inwardly its poetry is much deeper.

I think we fool ourselves and really negate a great deal of history if we think that the oral history of poetry is shorter than the written history of poetry. It's not true. Poetry has a longer oral tradition than it does written.

There is an urgent need for Americans to look deeply into themselves and their actions and musical poetry is perhaps the most effective mirror available. Every newspaper headline is a potential song.

I think that's what poetry does. It allows people to come together and identify with a common thing that is outside of themselves but which they identify with from the interior.