««««
«~~ ~~«
^~ ~^
,,,~~«^^$@ ,,,,,,,,,,,, ^ ^ ,,,,,,,,,,,, @$^^«~~,,,
,~«^^$§@## ^~ ~^ ##@§$^^«~,
,,,,,,~«^§ «~~ ~~« §^«~,,,,,,
,~«^^$@### «««« ###@$^^«~,
,,,,,~«^§# #§^«~,,,,,
,~«^^$§@## The River That'S Our River Makes A ##@§$^^«~,
,,,,«^$$@# Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A #@$$^«,,,,
,~«^^$§@## Decent Days Travel North From That ##@§$^^«~,
,~««^^^^$@ Stands Our House In The Middle Of A @$^^^^««~,
,~«^^$@### Forgotten Apple Orchard. Our House Is ###@$^^«~,
,~«^^$§@## Built Of Dark Clay And Abandoned By A ##@§$^^«~,
,~«^^$$§§@ Stranger. The Window Has No Glass But @§§$$^^«~,
,,,~«^^^$§ Instead Steel Bars To Keep The Animals §$^^^«~,,,
,,,,,,,«^§ 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 §^««~,,,,,
,,,~«^$§§@ Are Distracted. We Are Not As @§§$^«~,,,
,~«^^$§@## Persistent As Father And Quickly Fall ##@§$^^«~,
,~«^^$§@## Behind In Our Duties. ##@§$^^«~,
,~«^^$§@## ##@§$^^«~,
,,,~^^^$§§ §§$^^^~,,,
,~«^^$§### ###§$^^«~,
,~~«^^$§§# #§§$^^«~~,
,~«^^$@### ###@$^^«~,