This chapter took me a while to read because I would read one of the poems and then get inspired and write one myself, and this happened a few times. I really liked this section though. This was one of the few chapters where Hirshfield gave us very clear advise to help us with our writing. As Hirshfield says, you need to enter into a threshold in order to write. Sometimes you can write off of personal experience, but one person can only experience so much. If you want to be a really great writer you need to step away and write from beyond the self. You need to connect with the earth and accept that you are no one. This section kind of made me want to leave all my stuff behind and go live in the woods for a month. Too bad we're all under a stay at home order (I'm secretly glad though because I hate bugs and could never live in the woods). Anyway I thought this was a perfect closing chapter for Nine Gates.