<SYSTEM_TASK:>
Solve the following problem using Python, implementing the functions described below, one line at a time
<END_TASK>
<USER_TASK:>
Description:

def ls(path, load_path=None):  # pylint: disable=C0103
    '''
    List the direct children of a node

    CLI Example:

    .. code-block:: bash

        salt '*' augeas.ls /files/etc/passwd

    path
        The path to list

    .. versionadded:: 2016.3.0

    load_path
        A colon-spearated list of directories that modules should be searched
        in. This is in addition to the standard load path and the directories
        in AUGEAS_LENS_LIB.
    '''
    def _match(path):
        ''' Internal match function '''
        try:
            matches = aug.match(salt.utils.stringutils.to_str(path))
        except RuntimeError:
            return {}

        ret = {}
        for _ma in matches:
            ret[_ma] = aug.get(_ma)
        return ret

    load_path = _check_load_paths(load_path)

    aug = _Augeas(loadpath=load_path)

    path = path.rstrip('/') + '/'
    match_path = path + '*'

    matches = _match(match_path)
    ret = {}

    for key, value in six.iteritems(matches):
        name = _lstrip_word(key, path)
        if _match(key + '/*'):
            ret[name + '/'] = value  # has sub nodes, e.g. directory
        else:
            ret[name] = value
    return ret