Poetry Quote of the Day: Ted Kooser

Karen Edmisten left a quote from Poet Laureate Ted Kooser in the comments on Friday. Here it is:

"A poem is a record of a discovery."

Yes!  I did some digging, and I found that he also said:

"If I don't take the risk, I'll wind up with a bloodless poem. I have to be out there on the edge." He likens the process to the movie "Modern Times," where Charlie Chaplin roller skates on a department store balcony to impress a woman. "You have to run the risk of falling down into ladies ready to wear."  ---from the Christian Science Monitor

Part of me wishes he would fall down there, just so I could read his "record of a discovery."

This post is part of my Poetry Quote a Day series for National Poetry Month.