Offhand, the only North American writers I can think of who have come from a background of rural poverty and gone on to write about it have been Negroes.
I Can
I was probably unusually close to my parents, so I do what I can now to preserve the integrity of their memory. The Holocaust deserves to be remembered.
I love my funny poems, but I’d rather break your heart. And if I can do both in the same poem, that’s the best.
I can well conceive a man without hands, feet, head. But I cannot conceive man without thought; he would be a stone or a brute.
If I eat mindlessly while watching television, reading, or talking with someone else, I can go through an entire meal without tasting the food, without even noticing that I’ve been eating. The plate is empty but I didn’t enjoy the food – I had all of the calories and little of the pleasure.
I can honestly say that I was never affected by the question of the success of an undertaking. If I felt it was the right thing to do, I was for it regardless of the possible outcome.
I can, therefore I am.
I’m prepared to fight as hard as I can against unions entering the University on behalf of our students.
And by a prudent flight and cunning save A life which valour could not, from the grave. A better buckler I can soon regain, But who can get another life again?
Jazz is very important. It’s not something I can put my finger on. When I’m writing at my favorite time, I like to have the gentle side of Coltrane or Brubeck on the CD player. It creates sort of a spiritual space in which I write best.