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.