There's something about the kind of time travel that a poem can provide. It can take you to somewhere else - a culture far from you, a language far from you, but suddenly you're there. You're that person, seeing with that person's eyes. I think that's really tremendous. Even things like cinema or more traditional history can't quite do that.

Kevin Young’s quote explores the unique time travel that poetry offers, allowing readers to transcend time and place. He suggests that a poem can transport you to a completely different culture, language, or perspective, enabling you to experience the world through someone else's eyes. This ability to immerse oneself in another person's reality, whether through their emotions, thoughts, or experiences, is what Young finds particularly tremendous about poetry. Unlike other mediums, poetry has the power to create such a deep and immediate connection.

Young contrasts poetry with other forms of expression, such as cinema and traditional history, suggesting that while these can offer glimpses into different times or cultures, they can't quite match the intimate and transformative experience that a poem provides. In cinema or history, there are still barriers—visual or factual—that separate the audience from the experience. In contrast, a poem can break down these barriers and place the reader directly into the heart of a different world or perspective, creating an immediate empathy and connection.

The quote reflects Young’s deep appreciation for the emotional and immersive qualities of poetry. As a poet and scholar, Young has often explored the ways in which language can shape and expand our understanding of others. For him, poetry’s power lies not just in what it says but in how it makes the reader feel—allowing them to transcend their own experiences and connect with something foreign yet deeply human.

The origin of this quote comes from Kevin Young’s reflections on the power of poetry and his belief in its ability to foster deep, personal connections to people, places, and experiences that are distant or different from our own. His focus on poetry’s unique ability to engage with time and culture reveals his understanding of its transformative power and its capacity to offer profound insight into the human condition.