These poems treat the condition of Jewish women in the Bible as a prelude to the trials, misfortunes, and victories of the twentieth century. The Biblical women treated in a modern idiom include Eve, Lilith, Sara, Hagar, Leah, Rachel, Shifra, Miriam, Jael, Delilah, Ruth, the Witch of Endor, Bath She-Ba, Tamar, and Vashti. The link between past and present is Shulamith, 'the singer of all the songs', who comes at last to America. She helps us remember the Jewish women who resisted extermination in the European ghettos and concentration camps, those who continued to struggle against prejudice...

Here are poems of modern day survival, set in Los Angeles. The woman of the title (from a story by Mary Austin) provides an image for the poet of one who 'came and went about our western world', establishing a saving relationship with the land. The urban poet grapples with the themes of her life: her dying father, never able to use his teaching credentials; her own adjunct teaching position in the L.A. community college system, full of overcrowding, layoffs, and her beautiful immigrant students; the South Central riots, a forest fire, a flood, and an earthquake complicating her labours; her...