Pain is filtered in a poem so that it becomes finally, in the end, pleasure. – Mark Strand
And at least in poetry you should feel free to lie. That is, not to lie, but to imagine what you want, to follow the direction of the poem. – Mark Strand
I believe that all poetry is formal in that it exists within limits, limits that are either inherited by tradition or limits that language itself imposes. – Mark Strand
A life is not sufficiently elevated for poetry, unless, of course, the life has been made into an art. – Mark Strand