~~~~                             
                          ~..    ..~                          
                        =.          .=                        
§.§..§§... ............ =            = ............ §..§§§.§§.
§.§.§.§...              =.          .=              §.§.§§..§.
§.§.§.§..§                ~..    ..~                §.§..§.§§.
§.§.§.§.§§                   ~~~~                   §.§.§§..§.
§.§.§.§..§                                          §.§..§.§§.
§.§.§.§.§§ 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.           §.§..§.§§.
§.§.§.§.§§                                          §.§.§§..§.
§.§.§.§..§                                          §.§..§.§§.
§.§.§.§.§§                                          §.§.§§..§.
§.§.§.§..§                                          §.§..§.§§.
§.§.§.§.§§                                          §.§.§§..§.