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.