“I had been born shoved to the margins of the world, sure, but I had volunteered for the pits.”

“I'm very attracted to poetry for all the reasons someone likes poetry. The notion of compression seems to fit my personality.”

“When poetry is on the money, 12 words can slay you. I admire that greatly.”

“I guess it's ridiculously romantic, but I wanted to be a full tilt, sink-or-swim writer.”

“I think all regions have had their peculiarities of speech rounded off by television, radio, and people travel so much more now.”

“Texas humor and Southern humor are pretty similar.”

“I was not much used to women except for mothers. Everything I did, they did different.”

“No god craves weaklings.”

“I, myself, often wished to be spared the expectation of better days ahead or such.”

“I slept for over a full day, as you know, but I won’t say I rested.”

“I FELL DEEP down in there, until this bright light raised me from sleep. Coming out of a pit such as that, you think the bright light could be God or a cop on patrol.”