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.