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.