Theirs is an art that knows measure, pattern, music, and word play, and shows a profound consciousness of the writers of the past. This art bears little resemblance to the hack work most creative writing programs today are turning out. The difficult, as I mean it in my essay, is the challenge of and allegiance to discipline which can sometimes lead to inspiration. Athletes would know what I mean, and contemplative monks. Picasso painting all that blue.
Inspiration is the fulfilled trajectory of aspiration.
Like all home runs, it doesn't happen every time, but when it does, you know it. It is not fine feeling, or mood, or a cozy daze. The most radical thing a poet can do on paper is to speak to himself or herself, and to imagine another person listening. This keeps one's mind chaste and honest. Today, poets dream of grants and fellowships, not of heaven.