“I prefer the absurdity of writing poems
to the absurdity of not writing poems.”
Wisława Szymborska (1923–2012) Polish writer
Source: Nothing Twice: Selected Poems
Other Quotes
“I prefer the absurdity of writing poems
to the absurdity of not writing poems.”
Wisława Szymborska (1923–2012) Polish writer
Source: Nothing Twice: Selected Poems
“There is no such thing as a cheerful poem [... ] Happiness writes in water, not ink.”
Nick Drake (poet) (1961) British writer
Ch 2
The Rahotep series, Book 3: Egypt: The Book of Chaos (2011)
Randall Jarrell (1914–1965) poet, critic, novelist, essayist
"Answers to Questions," from Mid-Century American Poets, edited by John Ciardi, 1950 [p. 171]
Kipling, Auden & Co: Essays and Reviews 1935-1964 (1980)
Jan Zwicky (1955) Canadian philosopher
Interview with Anne Simpson - 'Words from Canadian poets in conversation', 2002
Other
Ryōkan (1758–1831) Japanese Buddhist monk
Variant translation:<br>Who says my poems are poems?<br>My poems are not poems.<br>After you know my poems are not poems,<br>Then we can begin to discuss poetry! <br class="br"> "Zen Poetics of Ryokan" in Simply Haiku: A Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry (Summer 2006) http://www.hermitary.com/articles/ryokan_poetics.html <br class="br">Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf : Zen Poems of Ryokan (1993)
Günter Brus (1938) Austrian artist
Source: Nervous Stillness on the Horizon (2006), P. 258 (2002)
“For me, a poem starts when a felicitious phrase springs to mind.”
Marianne Moore (1887–1972) American poet and writer
“…whether they write poems or don’t write poems, poets are best.”
Randall Jarrell (1914–1965) poet, critic, novelist, essayist
“Recent Poetry”, p. 227
Kipling, Auden & Co: Essays and Reviews 1935-1964 (1980)
“It’s not easy to write a poem about a poem.”
Dejan Stojanovic (1959) poet, writer, and businessman
“Is It Possible to Write a Poem?,” p. 111
The Sun Watches the Sun (1999), Sequence: “Is It Possible to Write a Poem”