If you look a word up in the dictionary and twenty minutes later you're still wandering around in the dictionary, you probably have the most basic equipment you need to be a poet.
This quote by Billy Collins captures the essence of poetic curiosity and the deep engagement with language that defines much of what it means to be a poet. The image of someone entering the dictionary to look up a word, only to emerge much later surrounded by a labyrinth of definitions, synonyms, and associated terms, suggests a journey rather than a mere search for meaning. This playful wandering speaks to the poet's mindset: one that doesn’t rush to find quick answers or settle for simple understandings but revels in the richness and layers of words themselves.
In this sense, the dictionary becomes a metaphor for discovery and creative exploration. The poet’s ‘equipment’ isn’t just vocabulary or grammar but a profound willingness to embrace uncertainty, complexity, and the connections between words. Many would see a dictionary as a static reference tool, but for the poet, it’s a gateway to worlds of possibility. The time spent 'wandering' represents the thoughtfulness and patience fundamental to artistic creation.
This quote also highlights how poetry depends on a dynamic relationship with language—it's not only about communication but how words resonate, differ, and evoke imagery. Such immersion in language lays the foundation for the poet to craft their original voice and express the ineffable. Ultimately, Collins celebrates the joy found in curiosity and the open-ended nature of poetic exploration, reminding us that the path to creativity is often an unhurried and wondrous journey through the terrain of words.
