“A poet must leave traces of his passage, not proof.”

“A poet should leave traces of his passage, not proof.”

“The poet advises: 'Read me. Read me again.'He does not always come away unscathed fromhis page, but like the poor, he knows how to make use of an olive's eternity.”

“In my land we don't question someone who has been touched deeply.There is no malign shadow over capsized boats.”

“Lucidity is the wound closest to the sun.”

“I believe in the magic and authority of words.”

“With my teethI have seized lifeUpon the knife of my youth.With my lips today,With my lips alone...”