An experienced reader uses the poem as an agent of inquiry. This makes poetry very exciting, unstable, and interactive. – John Barton
Sometimes poetry is inspired by the conversation entered into by reading other poems. – John Barton
My obsession with time informs my poetry so completely it is hard for me to summarize it. We want time to pass, for new things to happen to us, we want to hold on to certain moments, we dont want our lives to end. – John Barton
Writing can sometimes be exploitative. I like to take a few steps of remove in order to respect the privacy of the subject. If readers make the link, they have engaged with the poem. – John Barton