\  |  /
        --   O   --        @
          /  |  \         @|@
                          (o)@      <- staked,
        the counter:      @|@          watered,
       ______________     (o)          waited for
      |  (o)  (o)     |    |
      | (ripening at  |____|_______
      |  nature's pace)
      |_______________|  (no fridge. ever.)
  __________________________________________________
        patience improves the fruit. same law.

           _______________
          |  THE COMMON   |
          |    PURSE      |
          |_______________|
          £  £  £  £  £  £
         (filled full and level,
          sack by sack, by most)
        _______        __
       |porsche|      (o)  <- held at
       |_______|            the gate,
        (180 days. explain.)  old law
  __________________________________________________
        unexplained wealth answers to the commons

       @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
      @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
       ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
     __||___||___||___||___||__
            __
           /  \      (the shears:
          (____)      earned, not
           |  |       given. hedge
                      first. lawns
                      upon merit.)
  __________________________________________________
        the household: the senior appointment

               ____
             /      \
            |  2-1   |
             \ ____ /
          _____|  |_____
         (   the plinth  )
          `-------------'
            |=|  |=|
            |_|  |_|  <- the flags,
                         folded, put away
  __________________________________________________
        the scoreboard needs no translation

       |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
       |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
       |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
       |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
       |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
            __
           /  \        %%%
          (axe )      %%%%%    ______
           |  |        %%%    |((  ))| <- a toy
  _________|__|_______________|______|______________
        the woodpile asks for no subsidy

       \  |  /                    |
     --   O   --                 _|_
       /  |  \                  | | |
                                | | |
           o                    |_|_|
          /|\                  (saguaro:
          / \                   also standing
       (standing watch           watch, 200
        till the firemen          years now)
        came)
  __________________________________________________
            he knew what hands are for

         \  |  /                      __
          -O-                       <(o )___
         /  |  \                     ( ._> /
                                      `---'
     @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@           _//   \\_
    @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@         ____|_____|____
     @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@       (the fence. dawn.
    ---------------------       the rooster's
     (wheat, standing in           one job.)
      rows, as instructed)
  __________________________________________________
           as it was. as it should be. sow.

         _______________________
        //                     \\
       ||   P A P E R           ||
       ||   P O O L S           ||
       ||                       ||
       ||   (built 1980.        ||
       ||    still true.)       ||
       ||_______________________||
        \\_____________________//
          ||                 ||
        (oak shelf, also enduring)
  __________________________________________________
        made properly. left alone. lasted.

    ----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----
        |    |    |    |    |    |    |
     ___|____|____|____|____|____|____|___
       o
      /|\      (one furrow. thirty years.
      / \       no applause requested,
                none required.)
     @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@
      (and look: things grew)
  __________________________________________________
            still plowing. still straight.

      /\        /\        /\        /\        /\
     /__\      /__\      /__\      /__\      /__\
     |[]|      |[]|      |[]|      |[]|      |[]|
       \         \        |        /         /
         \         \      |      /         /
                _____________
               /             \_______
              |    (o.o)             |
               \____________________/
        (the village, circled around one pram,
         no forms required, ever, once)
  __________________________________________________
              simplify. then rest.

        _________________
       /\                \
      /  \   (the house,  \
     /____\   kept, known) \
     |  []       []        |
     |_____________________|
         o          )
        /|\        (   <- the vigil,
        / \        |      kept through
     (10pm to     _|_     the honest
      6am, as    |   |    hours
      wakes were) |___|
        a house is healed by living

                     /\
                    /::\            /\
                    |::|           /  \  /\
             =======|::|======    /    \/  \
            ||     /|::|\    ||  /          \
             =====/_|::|_\====  (the mountains,
       o    o      |    |         watching)
      /|\  /|\     |    |
      / \  / \    _|____|_
   ______________________________________________
       a spire, raised by hand. eight years.

              ________
             /________\
             |        |
             |  WELL  |
             |________|
              (o____o)
               |    |   <- the bucket,
               |____|      shared, clean,
                            unsalaried
        (the village kept it for free.
         the keeper answered for it.)
  __________________________________________________
              old law. the only law.

     |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
     |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
     |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
     |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
     |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
     |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|
                        __________
                       | oil tank | <- the guest
                       |__________|    arrangement
  __________________________________________________
        the pile never breached a contract

         (the harvest dance, c. always)
       \o/     o\      /o     \o/
        |     /|       |\      |
       / \    / \     / \     / \
      (terrible. glorious. unrecorded.)
       storage medium:   ___________
                        | witnesses' |
                        |  memory    |
                        | (degrades  |
                        |  nightly)  |
                        |___________|
  __________________________________________________
       forgetting is how a village forgives

                                   \  |  /
          _                       --  O  --
     o   | |                       /  |  \
    /|\  | |               /\
    / \  |_|            /\/  \    /\
  ________________   /\/      \/\/  \
   --|---|---|---|--/    the far field    \
    -|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--
   @@@   @@@   @@@   @@@   @@@   @@@   @@@
  __________________________________________________
          the harvest does not resign

        \  |  /     (the village round)
      --   O   --    o   o   o   o
        /  |  \     /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\
                     (her: a dozen
                      greetings strong)
    _____________________________________
   |  o                                  |
   | /|\  <- him: the fence line,        |
   | / \     dutiful, nameless           |
   |______________ __,___________________|
                  /  o\__ (vouching)
  __________________________________________________
        attendance, repeated, is standing

         \  |  /        ____________
       --   O   --     |  THE SHED   |
         /  |  \       |  (built by  |
                       |   hand, kept|
      @@@  @@@  @@@    |   in use)   |
     @@@  @@@  @@@     |_____________|
                          (^;^)
     --|---|---|--       <(   )>
       (the year, kept    (the stock,
        in frost and       known to
        squeals)           the week)
  __________________________________________________
        knowledge held in three tongues

          _______________________________
         (   ___________________________  )
        (   (                           )  )
         (   \_________________________/  )
          \______________________________/
                  |   |      |   |
               ___|___|______|___|___
              (the airship: slow, dignified,
               room to churn butter en route)
  __________________________________________________
           bring back the dirigible. kneel.

               ______________
              /\             \
             /  \    BARN     \
            /____\_____________\
            |  []    []    []  |
            |__________________|
        @@@   @@@   @@@   @@@   @@@
       (things a barn stores: hay, oxen,
        winters, generations)      _____
                                  | [=] | <- stores
  ________________________________|_____|___________
           selfies of food. good riddance.