~~~~
~,, ,,~
*, ,*
,,,~*%*@¶# ,,,,,,,,,,,, * * ,,,,,,,,,,,, #¶@*%*~,,,
,,,,~*%*@¶ *, ,* ¶@*%*~,,,,
,,,,,~*%*@ ~,, ,,~ @*%*~,,,,,
,,,,,,~*%* ~~~~ *%*~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~*% %*~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~*%* 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. @*%*~,,,,,
,,,,,,~*%* *%*~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~*% %*~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~*%* *%*~,,,,,,
,,,,,~*%*@ @*%*~,,,,,
,,,,~*%*@¶ ¶@*%*~,,,,