Usually a life turned into a poem is misrepresented. – Mark Strand
I certainly cant speak for all cultures or all societies, but its clear that in America, poetry serves a very marginal purpose. Its not part of the cultural mainstream. – Mark Strand
And yet, in a culture like ours, which is given to material comforts, and addicted to forms of entertainment that offer immediate gratification, it is surprising that so much poetry is written. – Mark Strand
Poetry is something that happens in universities, in creative writing programs or in English departments. – Mark Strand
But I liked Yeats! That wild Irishman. I really loved his love of language, his flow. His chaotic ideas seemed to me just the right thing for a poet. Passion! He was always on the right side. He may be wrongheaded, but his heart was always on the right side. He wrote beautiful poetry. – Chinua Achebe