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.