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.