~~~~                             
                          ~..    ..~                          
                        †.          .†                        
§§.§..§.§. ............ †            † ............ .§§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.              †.          .†              §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.                ~..    ..~                §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.                   ~~~~                   §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.                                          §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. The  River  That'S  Our  River  Makes  A §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Large Bend  Like A  Scooping Hand And  A §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Decent  Days  Travel  North  From   That §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Stands  Our  House  In  The Middle  Of A §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Forgotten  Apple  Orchard. Our House  Is §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Built  Of Dark Clay  And Abandoned  By A §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Stranger.  The  Window Has No Glass  But §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Instead Steel  Bars  To Keep The Animals §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.                   Out.                   §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.                                          §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Around  The  House  Is  A  Thick,  Thick §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Brush  Of  Ferns And Bushes.  There Live §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. The Animals That We Fight To Keep  Away, §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. For They Speak To  Us To  Join  Them  In §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. The Luscious  Caves  Below Ground.  They §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Mean No Harm  But It Is Not In  Our Best §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Interest  To Do  So. There Is  Important §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Work That  Needs To Be Done, And It Cant §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Be Done By Animals. (Father  Says This.) §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.                                          §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Every  Morning  Our  Father  Clears  The §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Ferns And Uproots  The  Bushes  Only For §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Them  To  Grow  Back Each  Night.  Their §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Leaves Are Teal, White  And Yellow, Some §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Even The Color Of Wine.  They Have Lilac §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Flowers And In The  Morning They Are Wet §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.                With Dew.                 §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.                                          §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Father  Is Away  During  The  Day  Doing §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Important Things Elsewhere. He  Is Weary §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. When He Returns Home,  Each Day More  So §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Than The Next.  We Learn To Cook For Him §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. So That He Does Not Have To.  We Tend To §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.               His Clothes.               §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.                                          §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Suddenly The Dense Bushwork  Is Mirrored §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Inside. Stems  And  Leaves  Appear Close §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. To The Walls And Far From  The Light. We §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Are Glad, For The Flowers  Are Beautiful §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. And  Smell  Good, And  There  Is  Little §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Decoration  In  Our  House.   But   When §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Father Comes Home  He  Is Angry And Cuts §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Them  All  Down  In  A  Frenzy.  We  Are §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.            Scared Of Him Then.           §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.                                          §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. We Are  Then Tasked  With  Removing  Any §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Indoor Plant We See.  But  They  Are  So §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Beautiful!  We Wait  Just  Until  Father §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Comes  Home  And  Until  Then  We  Enjoy §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Them.  Sometimes An Animal Will Sneak In §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. But We Always  Shoo Them Out. With Fresh §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Cut  Flowers  Thrown Right  Outside  The §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. House  He  Suspects  And   Resents   Our §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Inaction.   But  He   Doesn'T  Have  The §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Energy To Scold  Us. He Weakens Quickly. §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. It Is Not Long Before He Is Still  Tired §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Even    In   The   Morning    And   Must §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.    Reluctantly Leave The Outdoor Weed    §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Cutting  To  Us As Well, Untrusting That §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.           We Will Carry It Out.          §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.                                          §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Now He  Leaves As Soon As He'S Awake And §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Falls Asleep  As Soon As He Returns.  We §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Are  Left To Care  For  Us And The House §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. And The  Orchard. But It Is Hard  And We §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§. Are   Distracted.   We    Are   Not   As §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§. Persistent  As Father  And  Quickly Fall §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.           Behind In Our Duties.          §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.                                          §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.                                          §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.                                          §.§.§§.§§.
§§.§..§.§.                                          §.§..§..§.
.§.§.§§.§.                                          §.§.§§.§§.