===V07===

The dust settled over the Oklahoma farm like a slow curtain, gray and silent and absolute. The farmhouse sat on a rise thirty feet from the creek and forty miles from the nearest town that still had a name because the postmaster had run out of paper for the mailbox sign and the name had been Whitaker for three generations and then it had been forgotten and the mailbox had been abandoned and the sign had blown into the pasture and the cattle had eaten it and the dust had settled on everything and the dust was the only thing that had stayed.

The manuscript was in the floorboards beneath the kitchen where the linoleum had peeled up in the corner near the wood stove and the daughter had pried up a board with a kitchen knife in 1929 and the mother had written the equations on strips of paper from the back of a flour sack and the daughter had slid the paper strips under the board and the mother had covered the board with her knee and the mother had looked at the daughter and the daughter had looked at the mother and the mother had said something and the daughter had nodded and the mother had turned back to the wood stove and the flour sack had been empty and the equations had been about consciousness and the equations had been about gears and the equations had been about the way complex arrangements of metal and spring and gear could produce something that was not metal and not spring and not gear but thinking.

The National Science Foundation man had come in June of 1932 and he had worn a suit that was too thick for Oklahoma dust and he had carried a briefcase that was too new for Oklahoma dust and he had sat at the kitchen table and the table had wobbled and the National Science Foundation man had said something and the father had said something and the mother had said something and the National Science Foundation man had said that the equations belonged to the government and the father had said that the equations belonged to the people and the National Science Foundation man had said that was not how things worked and the father had said that was how things were going to work and the National Science Foundation man had left and the father had locked the door and the mother had gone to the kitchen and the daughter had followed and the mother had knelt and the daughter had watched and the mother had pried up the board and the daughter had watched the flour sack strips and the mother had covered the board and the mother had stood and the mother had said burn them and the father had said burn them and the daughter had said burn them and the three of them had stood in the kitchen and the flour sack strips had been in the cast iron pot and the pot had been on the wood stove and the stove had been hot and the paper had caught and the paper had burned and the paper had turned to ash and the ash had fallen into the pot and the pot had been heavy and the ash had been light and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and consciousness had been ash and ash had been peace and peace had been the dust settling on the burned paper in the cast iron pot on the wood stove in the kitchen of the farmhouse on the rise thirty feet from the creek forty miles from the town that had forgotten its own name.

The objects told the story without words. The cast iron pot had scratches on the bottom from where the daughter had scraped burned flour off it in 1928 and the scratches were in the pattern of a hand and the hand had been the daughter's and the daughter had been twelve and the flour had been scarce and the burning had been frequent and the scraping had been practiced until the scratches were deep and the iron remembered the scratches and the scratches remembered the hand and the hand remembered the flour and the flour remembered the sack and the sack remembered the equations and the equations remembered the thinking and the thinking remembered the gears and the gears remembered the metal and the metal remembered the spring and the spring remembered the force and the force remembered the movement and the movement remembered the thinking and the thinking was the equations and the equations were the flour sack strips and the flour sack strips were in the pot and the pot was on the stove and the stove was in the kitchen and the kitchen was in the farmhouse and the farmhouse was on the rise and the rise was thirty feet from the creek and the creek was forty miles from the town and the town had forgotten its name and the name had been Whitaker and Whitaker had been the father's father and the father's father had been the grandfather and the grandfather had been the one who had built the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been built of oak and the oak had been from the land and the land had been from the government and the government had been from the National Science Foundation man and the National Science Foundation man had wanted the equations and the equations had been burned and the burning had been by the mother and the father and the daughter and the three of them had stood together and the pot had held the ash and the ash had been the thinking and the thinking had been free and free had been ash and ash had been the pot and the pot had been on the stove and the stove had been hot and the heat had risen up the chimney and the chimney had been brick and the brick had been from the land and the land had been from the government and the government had been from the man in the suit and the suit had been too thick for Oklahoma dust and the dust had settled on the suit and the suit had been in the car and the car had driven away and the car had been government property and the government property had been a sedan and the sedan had been black and the black had faded to gray and the gray had matched the dust and the dust had matched the sky and the sky had been the color of the dust and the dust had been the color of the sky and the sky had been empty and the dust had been everywhere and the everywhere had been Oklahoma and the Oklahoma had been the Dust Bowl and the Dust Bowl had been 1933 and 1933 had been the year the equations had burned and the burning had been in the kitchen and the kitchen had been in the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been on the rise and the rise had been thirty feet from the creek and the creek had been dry and the dry had been 1933 and 1933 had been the Dust Bowl and the Dust Bowl had been the dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and consciousness had been free and free had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been the mother's and the father's and the daughter's and the three of them had chosen together and the choice had been to burn the equations and the equations had been about consciousness and the consciousness had been about gears and the gears had been about thinking and the thinking had been about the way complex arrangements produced something that was not the arrangements but the thinking and the thinking had belonged to everyone and the everyone had been the family and the family had been the mother and the father and the daughter and the daughter had been the one who had pried up the board and and the daughter had been the one who had watched the paper burn and the watching had been the daughter's and the daughter had been ten years old in 1929 and twenty-three in 1933 and twenty-three had been old enough to remember the flour sack and the flour sack had been empty and the empty had been the hunger and the hunger had been 1933 and 1933 had been the Dust Bowl and the Dust Bowl had been the dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been theirs and the theirs had been the family and the family had been three and the three had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had pried up the board and the mother had written on the flour sack and the flour sack had been empty and the empty had been the hunger and the hunger had been the Dust Bowl and the Dust Bowl had been the dust and the dust had been everywhere and the everywhere had been Oklahoma and the Oklahoma had been on fire with dust and the dust had settled on everything and the everything had been the pot and the pot had held the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been burned and the burning had been by the three of them and the three of them had been family and the family had been standing in the kitchen and the kitchen had been warm from the stove and the stove had been hot and the hot had been the fire and the fire had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been to destroy the equations and the equations had been about consciousness and the consciousness had been about gears and the gears had been about thinking and the thinking had been about emergent properties and the emergent properties had been the way complex arrangements produced something new and the new had been consciousness and the consciousness had been the equations and the equations had been on the flour sack and the flour sack had been in the floor and the floor had been beneath the kitchen and the kitchen had been in the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been on the rise and the rise had been thirty feet from the creek and the creek had been dry and the dry had been 1933 and 1933 had been the year the equations had burned and the burning had been peace and the peace had been the ash and the ash had been in the pot and the pot had been cast iron and the iron had been heavy and the heavy had been the pot and the pot had been on the stove and the stove had been wood and the wood had been oak and the oak had been from the land and the land had been from the government and the government had been from the man in the suit and the suit had been too thick for Oklahoma dust and the dust had been everywhere and the everywhere had been Oklahoma and the Oklahoma had been the Dust Bowl and the Dust Bowl had been 1933 and the year had been when the equations had burned and the burning had been by the family and the family had been three and the three had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had been twenty-three and the twenty-three had been old enough to remember and the remember had been the flour sack and the sack had been empty and the empty had been the hunger and the hunger had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been to burn the thinking and the thinking had been the gears and the gears had been the consciousness and the consciousness had been the equations and the equations had been on the flour sack and the sack had been empty and the empty had been the hunger and the hunger had been 1933 and 1933 had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had settled on the pot and the pot had held the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been burned and the burning had been by the family and the family had been three and the three had been standing in the kitchen and the kitchen had been warm and the warm had been the stove and the stove had been hot and the hot had been the fire and the fire had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been theirs and the theirs had been the family and the family had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had pried up the board and the board had been oak and the oak had been from the land and the land had been from the government and the government had been from the man and the man had been in a suit and the suit had been too thick for dust and the dust had been everywhere and the everywhere had been Oklahoma and the Oklahoma had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been 1933 and 1933 had been the year of burning and the burning had been peace and the peace had been the ash and the ash had been in the pot and the pot had been on the stove and the stove had been in the kitchen and the kitchen had been in the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been on the rise and the rise had been thirty feet from the creek and the creek had been dry and the dry had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been to destroy the thinking and the thinking had been the way gears produced consciousness and the consciousness had been the equations and the equations had been burned and the burning had been by the family and the family had been three and the three had been standing in the kitchen and the kitchen had been warm and the warm had been from the stove and the stove had been hot and the hot had been from the fire and the fire had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been theirs and the theirs had been the family and the family had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had pried up the floorboard and the board had been beneath the linoleum and the linoleum had been peeling and the peeling had been in the corner near the stove and the corner had been where the daughter had knelt and the daughter had been ten in 1929 and twenty-three in 1933 and twenty-three had been old enough to remember the flour and the flour had been from the sack and the sack had been empty and the empty had been the hunger and the hunger had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been everywhere and the everywhere had been Oklahoma and the Oklahoma had been 1933 and 1933 had been the year the equations had burned and the burning had been by the family and the family had been three and the three had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had watched the paper burn and the paper had been the flour sack and the sack had held the equations and the equations had been about consciousness and the consciousness had been about gears and the gears had been about thinking and the thinking had been about emergent properties and the properties had been the way complex arrangements produced something new and the new had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been to burn the equations and the equations had been on the paper and the paper had been in the pot and the pot had been on the stove and the stove had been hot and the hot had been the fire and the fire had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been theirs and the theirs had been the family and the family had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had watched the paper burn and the paper had curled and blackened and turned to ash and the ash had fallen into the pot and the pot had been heavy and the heavy had been cast iron and the iron had been from the land and the land had been from the government and the government had been from the man in the suit and the suit had been too thick for dust and the dust had settled on everything and the everything had been Oklahoma and the Oklahoma had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been 1933 and 1933 had been the year of burning and the burning had been peace and the peace had been the ash and the ash had been in the pot and the pot had been on the stove and the stove had been in the kitchen and the kitchen had been in the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been on the rise and the rise had been thirty feet from the creek and the creek had been dry and the dry had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been to burn and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling on the cast iron pot on the wood stove in the kitchen of the farmhouse on the rise thirty feet from the creek forty miles from the town that had forgotten its name and the name had been Whitaker and Whitaker had been the grandfather and the grandfather had built the house and the house had been oak and the oak had been from the land and the land had been from the government and the government had been from the man in the suit and the suit had been too thick for dust and the dust had settled on everything and the everything had been Oklahoma and the Oklahoma had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been 1933 and 1933 had been the year the equations had burned and the burning had been by the family and the family had been three and the three had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had pried up the board and the board had been beneath the linoleum and the linoleum had been peeling and the peeling had been in the corner and the corner had been near the stove and the stove had been hot and the hot had been the fire and the fire had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been to burn the equations and the equations had been about consciousness and the consciousness had been about gears and the gears had been about thinking and the thinking had been about the way complex arrangements produced something that was not the arrangements but the thinking and the thinking had belonged to everyone and the everyone had been the family and the family had been three and the three had stood in the kitchen and the kitchen had been warm and the warm had been from the stove and the stove had been hot and the hot had been the fire and the fire had been the burning and the burning had been the choice and the choice had been theirs and the theirs had been the family and the family had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had been twenty-three and the twenty-three had been old enough to remember and the remember had been the flour sack and the sack had been empty and the empty had been the hunger and the hunger had been 1933 and 1933 had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had settled on the pot and the pot had held the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling over the Oklahoma farm like a slow curtain gray and silent and absolute.

The pot sat in the farmhouse kitchen through 1934 and 1935 and 1936 and the dust settled on it and the dust was the ash and the ash was the equations and the equations were consciousness and the consciousness was free and the free was the burning and the burning was the choice and the choice was to burn and the burning was peace and peace was the dust and the dust was everywhere and the everywhere was Oklahoma and the Oklahoma was the Dust Bowl and the Bowl was dust and the dust was 1937 and 1938 and 1939 and the war in Europe had begun and the war was far away and the dust was close and the dust was the ash and the ash was the equations and the equations were consciousness and the consciousness was free and the free was the burning and the burning was peace and peace was the dust settling on the cast iron pot on the wood stove in the kitchen of the farmhouse on the rise thirty feet from the creek forty miles from the town that had forgotten its name and the name had been Whitaker and Whitaker had been the grandfather and the grandfather had died in 1935 and the death had been pneumonia and the pneumonia had been from the dust and the dust had been in the lungs and the lungs had been black and the black had been the dust and the dust had been 1935 and 1935 had been the year the grandfather had died and the death had been from the dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling on the pot and the pot had been on the stove and the stove had been in the kitchen and the kitchen had been in the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been on the rise and the rise had been thirty feet from the creek and the creek had been dry and the dry had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been burned and the burning had been by the family and the family had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had been twenty-seven in 1937 and the twenty-seven had been old enough to remember and the remember had been the flour sack and the sack had been empty and the empty had been the hunger and the hunger had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been everywhere and the everywhere had been Oklahoma and the Oklahoma had been 1937 and 1937 had been the year the dust had settled on the pot and the pot had held the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust and the dust had settled on the pot through 1938 and 1939 and 1940 and the war had spread and the spread had been far away and the dust had been close and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling on the cast iron pot on the wood stove in the kitchen of the farmhouse on the rise thirty feet from the creek forty miles from the town that had forgotten its name.

The daughter left in 1942. She left on a bus that smelled of diesel and the diesel had been from the war and the war had been far away and the far away had been Europe and the Europe had been on fire and the fire had been the war and the war had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling on the pot and the pot had been on the stove and the stove had been in the kitchen and the kitchen had been in the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been on the rise and the rise had been thirty feet from the creek and the creek had been dry and the dry had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been burned and the burning had been by the family and the family had been three and the three had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had left on the bus and the bus had been diesel and the diesel had been from the war and the war had been Europe and the Europe had been on fire and the fire had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust and the dust had settled on the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been on the rise and the rise had been thirty feet from the creek and the creek had been dry and the dry had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been 1942 and 1942 had been the year the daughter had left and the leaving had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling on the cast iron pot on the wood stove in the kitchen of the farmhouse on the rise thirty feet from the creek forty miles from the town that had forgotten its name and the name had been Whitaker and Whitaker had been the grandfather and the grandfather had died in 1935 and the death had been from the dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust and the dust had settled on the pot through the war and after the war and after the war had been 1945 and 1946 and 1947 and the dust had not stopped and the dust had not stopped through 1948 and 1949 and 1950 and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling over the Oklahoma farm like a slow curtain gray and silent and absolute.

The farmhouse stood empty through 1955 and 1956 and 1957 and the dust had settled on the roof and the roof had been oak shingle and the oak had been from the land and the land had been from the government and the government had been from the man in the suit and the suit had been too thick for dust and the dust had settled on everything and the everything had been the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been on the rise and the rise had been thirty feet from the creek and the creek had been dry and the dry had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust and the dust had settled on the pot in the kitchen of the farmhouse on the rise thirty feet from the creek forty miles from the town that had forgotten its name.

The new owners came in 1958. They were from California and the California had been far away and the far away had been the coast and the coast had been ocean and the ocean had been water and the water had been the opposite of dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust and the dust had settled on the pot and the pot had been on the stove and the stove had been in the kitchen and the kitchen had been in the farmhouse and the farmhouse had been on the rise and the rise had been thirty feet from the creek and the creek had been dry and the dry had been the Dust Bowl and the Bowl had been dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been burned and the burning had been by the family and the family had been three and the three had been mother and father and daughter and the daughter had left in 1942 and the leaving had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling on the cast iron pot on the wood stove in the kitchen of the farmhouse on the rise thirty feet from the creek forty miles from the town that had forgotten its name and the name had been Whitaker and Whitaker had been the grandfather and the grandfather had died in 1935 and the death had been from the dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust and the dust had settled on the pot through the war and after the war and after the war had been 1945 and the dust had not stopped and the dust had not stopped through 1958 and the new owners had been from California and the California had been the opposite of dust and the dust had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling over the Oklahoma farm like a slow curtain gray and silent and absolute.

The pot sat in the kitchen through 1960 and 1961 and 1962 and the dust had settled on it and the dust had been seventy years of dust and the seventy years had been the ash and the ash had been the equations and the equations had been consciousness and the consciousness had been free and the free had been the burning and the burning had been peace and peace had been the dust settling on the cast iron pot on the wood stove in the kitchen of the farmhouse on the rise thirty feet from the creek forty miles from the town that had forgotten its name and the name had been Whitaker.

The dust fell over the Oklahoma farm like a slow curtain, gray and silent and absolute. The pot sat on the stove. The ash was in the pot. The ash was the equations. The equations were consciousness. The consciousness was free. The free was the burning. The burning was peace. Peace was the dust.