The poem， even a short time after being written，

    seems no miracle； unwritten， it seems

    something beyond the capacity of the gods.

    Art is the means we have of undoing¹ the damage of

    haste. It's what everything else isn't.

    You can't make poetry simply by avoiding clichés.

    There's a point where plainness is no longer a virtue²，

    when it becomes excessively bald， wrenched³.

    You must believe： a poem is a holy thing —— a good poem，

    that is.