Is there a poem of yours that seemed to come to you out of left field, that's different than most of your work?
I think all of them come out of left field in that you never can see them coming. The inspiration for a poem usually takes me by surprise. When you are asked to trace back your thinking and reverse the process, sometimes it's very hard to say what got a poem started. Other times it's very clear, like a quotation or a statue you saw.
Gene Myers Interviews Billy Collins