----
-~~ ~~-
*~ ~*
,,,,,,-=$¶ ,,,,,,,,,,,, * * ,,,,,,,,,,,, ¶$=-,,,,,,
,,,,~*$@@@ *~ ~* @@@$*~,,,,
,,~~~**=@¶ -~~ ~~- ¶@=**~~~,,
,~-*=$@¶@# ---- #@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@# #@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@# The River That'S Our River Makes A #@¶@$=*-~,
,,,,,,~*$¶ Large Bend Like A Scooping Hand And A ¶$*~,,,,,,
,~-*=$@¶## Decent Days Travel North From That ##¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶## Stands Our House In The Middle Of A ##¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@# Forgotten Apple Orchard. Our House Is #@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶¶¶ Built Of Dark Clay And Abandoned By A ¶¶¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@# Stranger. The Window Has No Glass But #@¶@$=*-~,
,,,,,,~*$@ Instead Steel Bars To Keep The Animals @$*~,,,,,,
,~-*===$@@ Out. @@$===*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@@ @@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@# Around The House Is A Thick, Thick #@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$$$¶¶ Brush Of Ferns And Bushes. There Live ¶¶$$$=*-~,
,,,~-*==$¶ The Animals That We Fight To Keep Away, ¶$==*-~,,,
,~-*=$@¶¶¶ For They Speak To Us To Join Them In ¶¶¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@# The Luscious Caves Below Ground. They #@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@# Mean No Harm But It Is Not In Our Best #@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶## Interest To Do So. There Is Important ##¶@$=*-~,
,,,~~*$@@¶ Work That Needs To Be Done, And It Cant ¶@@$*~~,,,
~-*=$@¶@## Be Done By Animals. (Father Says This.) ##@¶@$=*-~
,~-*$@¶@## ##@¶@$*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@@ Every Morning Our Father Clears The @@¶@$=*-~,
,,,,,,~*$¶ Ferns And Uproots The Bushes Only For ¶$*~,,,,,,
,~-*=$@¶@@ Them To Grow Back Each Night. Their @@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$$@@@ Leaves Are Teal, White And Yellow, Some @@@$$=*-~,
,,,,,--=$¶ Even The Color Of Wine. They Have Lilac ¶$=--,,,,,
,~-*=$@¶@# Flowers And In The Morning They Are Wet #@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@# With Dew. #@¶@$=*-~,
,,,,~**$¶@ @¶$**~,,,,
,~-*=$@¶@# Father Is Away During The Day Doing #@¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$@¶¶¶ Important Things Elsewhere. He Is Weary ¶¶¶@$=*-~,
,~-*=$¶@## When He Returns Home, Each Day More So ##@¶$=*-~,
,~-*$@¶@## Than The Next. We Learn To Cook For Him ##@¶@$*-~,
,~-*=$@¶@# So That He Does Not Have To. We Tend To #@¶@$=*-~,
,,,,,-===@ 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 @==*~,,,,,
,~-*=$@¶@# Behind In Our Duties. #@¶@$=*-~,
,,~--*$$@@ @@$$*--~,,
,~-*=$$$¶¶ ¶¶$$$=*-~,
,~-*=$¶@## ##@¶$=*-~,
,~-*=$¶@## ##@¶$=*-~,
,,,,,~*=@¶ ¶@=*~,,,,,