She would not be silent and still. She would live, arrogantly, having wrestled her death and won. - Lorna Dee Cervantes

Our dreams wafted over the sullen skyline
like crazy meteors of flying embers:
a glow in the heart all night.

For me, poetry has been an exercise in freedom. Freedom is like a muscle-the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. Poetry can give you a sense of choice. It's free on every level. Language and memory have no price tags on them. You have limitless choices-in form, language, subject matter-that spill over into life.

I started writing for the same reason I breathe-because I had to.