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.