Mother / Torkel Franzén

There is nothing now in the world to be afraid of.
Calmly I imagine her death but find I imagine nothing.

The flowering of the cactus in the window
and the fat magpie waiting for her evening snack,

perched on the balcony railing, her beautiful plumage
black and white. My mother's face, so thin yet still alive,

as she shows me the insurance policy, reminds me
to write and ask the company for the proper form;

on top of the stereo rack the bronze Buddha I bought in Seattle,
a feather in its lap, left on the balcony by a bird paying homage.

Calmly I imagine her death but find I imagine nothing.
There is nothing now in the world to be afraid of.

http://www.sm.luth.se/~torkel/

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.math/browse_threa...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Ising

"Ernst Ising (born May 10, 1900, Cologne Germany – May 11, 1998, Peoria, Illinois) was a German physicist, who is best remembered for the development of the Ising model of ferromagnetism. He was a professor of physics at Bradley University until his retirement in 1976."