In this book, Ball indicates the following. "The smallest unit in this poem-sequence is a three-letter combination or "word" employing a central vowel and two different consonants. There are five words per line incorporating each of the five vowels. All the words in a section begin with the same consonant. There are 21 sections. All the words in a given line end with the same consonant. Each section has 20 lines because the consonant that begins each word in a section is not repeated at the ends of words within that section.The words in this poem are meant to be read aloud, line by line. Pronunciation is left to the reader. Readers will find various words and lines induce surprise or laughter because of the sounds involved and because of meanings and suggested meanings.While one reads, one may become uncertain about which words are in dictionaries or in use and which are not. Some words and non-words will sound like real words that have other spellings. Many non-words look and sound as if they are words when in fact they are not.By changing the position and number of vowels and consonants, one could generate many more three-letter words. Exponential increases in the number of words generated will occur as the number of letters combined to form words is expanded. The 26 letters of the alphabet provide an astonishingly vast resource for language." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.