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.