I Carry A Notebook With

My Childhood Library Was Small Enough Not To Be Intimidating. And Yet I Felt The Whole World Was Contained In Those Two Rooms. I Could Walk Any Aisle And Smell Wisdom.

When We Are Touched By Something It's As If We're Being Brushed By An Angel's Wings.

To Me, A Poem Is Almost Like Someone Whispering To Another Person, Or You Hear The Whispering In Your Head. I Hope With My Own Poems That The Reader Feels A Connection, Soul To Soul, That'll Help Us All Feel A Little Less Alone On The Planet. And It Does Have The Power To Direct Change. A Writer Can Make The Word 'dark' Be Something Positive. You Can Relieve A Word Like 'hysterical' Of Its Misogynistic Implications. You Can Make The Language Your Own. That's What Poetry Is About.

Courage Has Nothing To Do With Our Determination To Be Great. It Has To Do With What We Decide In That Moment When We Are Called Upon To Be More.

Equality And Self-determination Should Never Be Divided In The Name Of Religious Or Ideological Fervor.