In this collection of memoiristic free-verse poems, Young’s fascinating and cosmopolitan life is recounted, from teenagehood into his senior years. Organized into major sections lined up with major moves he made, Young tells his story chronologically—proceeding from his youth in Acton into his four years at Oxford, five teaching and traveling in Italy, then returning to teach and write back home in London. This is followed by a period in his thirties, when he moves to Hong Kong, then China, where he meets his wife, and wraps up with his family life in the US, as he watches his children age and family expand.

  
   Many of these poems are meaningful, heartfelt expressions of desire, inspired by Young’s belief in the Buddhist principle that freedom from desire means freedom from suffering. Young draws on the rich tapestry of history, ancient myth, and the symbology of the various cultures to which he has a connection to examine the meaning of life—our shared
experience and his own.