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.