The poems are based on lists of names in the Aramaic writings of the Jews of Elephantine, Egypt. There is also an essay about the Elephantine Jews, an island in the Nile river at Egypt's southern border who lived in that place in the fifth century B.C. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

The poems are based on lists of names in the Aramaic writings of the Jews of Elephantine, Egypt. There is also an essay about the Elephantine Jews, an island in the Nile river at Egypt's southern border who lived in that place in the fifth century B.C. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

The poems are based on lists of names in the Aramaic writings of the Jews of Elephantine, Egypt. There is also an essay about the Elephantine Jews, an island in the Nile river at Egypt's southern border who lived in that place in the fifth century B.C. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Karl Young collated, at random, rejected or test pages from the books of his own Membrane Press. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

This work is a Young's modification of a Haiku by Basho that can be transilliterated: Matsushima Ya - A A Matshusima Ya - Matsushima Ya. Matshusima is a small archipelago in northern Japan, Ya is one of the abstract, hieretic words used in Haiku according to complex rules, and A (pronounced Ah) is an aparently universal, spontaneous exclamation used as commonly in contemporary America as it was in 17th century Japan. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

The book, with typography apparently derived from rubberstamped letters, is based on fragments of early Latin writing. Some of the texts were originally found on bottles, boundary markers, etc. The rest was written by Latin writers. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

The poem consists of printed text, which reads in part, "Given the nature of oxygen through the biosphere over time, you have probably breathed some of the same air as at least one of the following people: Moses, Buddha, Sappho, Jesus...and the first to experience unselfish love." Young's written poem of the title reads from right to left and bottom to top. It is positioned below the printed text and taken from 2300 year old Latin text. Young concludes "You may have shared a breath with its author. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.