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.