“I prefer the absurdity of writing poemsto the absurdity of not writing poems.”

“We have a soul at times.No one’s got it non-stop,for keeps.Day after day,year after yearmay pass without it.Sometimesit will settle for awhileonly in childhood’s fears and raptures.Sometimes only in astonishmentthat we are old.It rarely lends a handin uphill tasks,like moving furniture,or lifting luggage,or going miles in shoes that pinch.It usually steps outwhenever meat needs choppingor forms have to be filled.For every thousand conversationsit participates in one,if even that,since it prefers silence.Just when our body goes from ache to pain,it slips off-duty.It’s picky:it doesn’t like seeing us in crowds,our hustling for a dubious advantageand creaky machinations make it sick.Joy and sorrowaren’t two different feelings for it.It attends usonly when the two are joined.We can count on itwhen we’re sure of nothingand curious about everything.Among the material objectsit favors clocks with pendulumsand mirrors, which keep on workingeven when no one is looking.It won’t say where it comes fromor when it’s taking off again,though it’s clearly expecting such questions.We need itbut apparentlyit needs usfor some reason too.”

“When I pronounce the word Future,the first syllable already belongs to the past.When I pronounce the word Silence,I destroy it.”

“At the very beginning of my creative life I loved humanity. I wanted to do something good for mankind. Soon I understood that it isn’t possible to save mankind.”

“Whatever inspiration is, it's born from a continuous "I don't know."...That is why I value that little phrase "I don't know" so highly. It's small, but it flies on mighty wings. It expands our lives to include spaces within us as well as the outer expanses in which our tiny Earth hangs suspended...Poets, if they're genuine, must always keep repeating "I don't know.”

“Musi być do wyboru,Zmieniać się, żeby tylko nic się nie zmieniło.To łatwe, niemożliwe, trudne, warte próby.Oczy ma, jeśli trzeba, raz modre, raz szare,Czarne, wesołe, bez powodu pełne łezŚpi z nim jak pierwsza z brzegu, jedyna na świecie.Urodzi mu czworo dzieci, żadnych dzieci, jedno.Naiwna, ale najlepiej doradzi.Słaba, ale udźwignie.Nie ma głowy na karku, to będzie ją miała.Czyta Jaspersa i pisma kobiece.Nie wie po co ta śrubka i zbuduje most.Młoda, jak zwykle młoda, ciągle jeszcze młoda.Trzyma w rękach wróbelka ze złamanym skrzydłem,własne pieniądze na podróż daleką i długą,tasak do mięsa, kompres i kieliszek czystej.Dokąd tak biegnie, czy nie jest zmęczona.Ależ nie, tylko trochę, bardzo, nic nie szkodzi.Albo go kocha albo się uparła.Na dobre, na niedobre i na litość boską.”

“Inspiration is not the exclusive privilege of poets or artists. There is, there has been, there will always be a certain group of people whom inspiration visits. It's made up of all those who've consciously chosen their calling and do their job with love and imagination…Difficulties and setbacks never quell their curiosity. A swarm of new questions emerges from every problem that they solve. Whatever inspiration is, it's born from a continuous 'I don't know.”