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.