~~~~
~,, ,,~
;, ,;
,,,,,,,,,~ ,,,,,,,,,,,, ; ; ,,,,,,,,,,,, ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ;, ,; ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ~,, ,,~ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ~~~~ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~; 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. ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~; ;~,,,,,,,,