“Hung Lyres” is for my daughters, Adele and Leila. The section “in the cell of else” refers to the interrogation of Mohammad al-Sliha at Guantanamo, who was exposed to “variable light patterns and music”—including Drowning Pool’s “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor,” “Barney Is a Dinosaur,” Rage Against the Machine, and the Sesame Street theme.

“Breathing Together” relies on a letter from a friend.

“Testimony” is for Daniel Heyman, in gratitude for his documentary art on the testimonies of Iraqis.

“When I was a Child, I Lived as a Child, I Said to My Dad” is for Dad and Mom. It references a post-Gulf War video game, The Mother of All Tank Battles.

“Etruscan Cista Handle” describes a piece at the Cleveland Museum of Art, a 4th century cista handle.

“A Toast (for Nawal Nasrallah)” is for the exiles, especially Nawal Nasrallah, Shakir Mustafa, Kadhim Shaaban, and Salih Altoma.

On page 69, the image of Saddam Hussein’s fingerprints can be found here: http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB279/ (National Security Archive, posted July 1, 2009, last accessed September 22, 2014).

“Cell/(ph)one (A simultaneity in four voices)” employs found language, including text from a story in the New York Times about a Guantanamo prisoner.

“Homefront/Removes” is dedicated to the victims of the terror war, especially to Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah, held and tortured in secret U.S. prisons. Bashmilah’s legal case against Jeppesen Dataplan, a Boeing subsidiary, was for its knowing participation in the “extraordinary renditions” of detainees in the War on Terror. Throughout the book, one can find renderings of drawings by Bashmilah. His testimony is in italics.

“Compline” takes its name from the final prayer in the Book of Hours, which takes place late in the night. The poem borrows language from Isaiah.

BOOK BENEFACTORS

Alice James Books wishes to thank the following individuals who generously contributed toward the publication of Sand Opera:

Kazim Ali

Nina Nyhart

For more information about AJB’s book benefactor program, contact us via phone of email, or visit alicejamesbooks.org to see a list of forthcoming titles.

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