Quickly Down and Slowly Up-- poetry

The tale of a 1900s family's descension into poverty, hardship, and lessons learned. Can you lose everything when you have nothing? Can you gain something from nothing? What does it mean, to have nothing? What does it mean, to know nothing?
Written in poetry.

WARNING
contains sad, serious material. Death, hunger, and poverty. Please do not read if you should not be absorbing such content.