Hill is the author of a poetry collection, has published widely in literary journals, and is an editor for a university publications department. In the following essay, Hill addresses Hirshfield's claim that poetry is "a path toward new understanding and transformation" and suggests that this belief is the basis for Hirshfield's poem.

It is not difficult to be cynical about the world. It is not hard to let pessimism and doubt thwart any glimmers of serenity that show themselves among dark thoughts and dark days. And it is not unusual for the human mind to surrender to despair when confronted with the more challenging task of going forward in spite of it all, of accepting what comes and moving on. Transition is tough. It means one must face something new, something possibly threatening, possibly life-changing. But then there are those who say: that's what it's all about...