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